


Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: A Duel of Fiends and Fairies

by J_A_Phillips



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES, Card Games, Gen, Motorcycles, New Domino City, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 23:05:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9928043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_A_Phillips/pseuds/J_A_Phillips
Summary: Set a few years after the end of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. When a series of events involving cards of darkness begin happening around New Domino City, it's up to Cadet Yudai Hikaru and Officer Aoi Ikenami of the New Domino City Police Department to figure out what's going on. Rated T for violence and language. Mostly OCs, but will have plenty of recurring characters over time.





	1. The Calculated Power of The Calculator!

_Turbo Duel. That's the Duel that evolved in the world of speed. Some time ago, a group of Turbo Duelists bearing legendary birthmarks saved New Domino City from a threat born from a possible future. They were called Team 5D's. When the threat ended, and the city was brought back from the brink of destruction, the group went about their own ways, but their accomplishments forever made them legends in New Domino City..._

* * *

Lawton felt sweat rolling down his face as he sped his stolen Duel Runner through the streets of New Domino City, all while sirens blared behind him. It had taken months, but finally, he had made his escape from prison, along with a few compatriots of his. Unfortunately, now he'd found himself being chased by the New Domino City Police Department. Worse, he and his allies had been forced into a Turbo Duel Battle Royal by the police, and the others had all been defeated and rounded up, with himself all that was left.

Nervously, Lawton looked down at his display screen. He had a mere 1000 Life Points left, and if he hit 0, his Duel Runner would stop, meaning the police would have him. Glancing behind him, he saw the one officer hot on his trail with a single monster, Shining Angel, on the field in attack position, had 2750 Life Points. Looking down at his hand, he saw nothing that could turn the tide of this Duel...so Lawton opted to cheat instead, grabbing a pair of Trap Cards from under his sleeve and replacing them with two Monster Cards in his hand.

"I set five cards face-down!" Lawton declared, placing most of his hand in his Duel Disk's Spell/Trap Zone and causing holograms of them to appear around his Duel Runner. "Next, I Normal Summon Gatling Ogre (800/800)!" Slapping his remaining card in the Monster Zone, it created the image of an ogre with much of its body replaced with machine parts, most notably a gatling gun in its midsection. "Gatling Ogre's effect: By sending Set cards in my Spell/Trap Zone, Gatling Ogre inflicts 800 damage to your Life Points for each one!" With this, Lawton gleefully removed all the cards he'd just set face-down and sent them to the Graveyard, causing Gatling Ogre to open fire on the officer chasing them.

"Sorry to disappoint!" the officer hollered, discarding a card from his hand to cause a hologram of a fuzzy fairy to appear before him, taking the shots before vanishing. "During either player's turn, I can discard Hanewata (200/300) to reduce all effect damage taken this turn to 0!"

"Grr, what kind of police officer uses whimpy Fairy-type monsters, anyway?!" Lawton roared in annoyance as they sped through an intersection. "Turn end!"

"You want something a bit more intimidating?!" a female voice demanded, just as another officer turned in from the intersection. Her field had two Machine-type monsters present: The citron-coloured Crystron Citree (500/500), and the amethyst-coloured Crystron Thystvern (1500/1500).

"Officer Ikenami!" the male cop who'd been chasing Lawton greeted, saluting as he backed off. "He's all yours!"

Aoi Ikenami smirked before turning back to Lawton. "My turn! I tune my Level 3 Crystron Thystvern with my Level 2 Tuner, Crystron Citree!"

"A Synchro Summoning?!" Lawton demanded as Crystron Citree's body began glowing bright green, its body erupting into a pair of green rings for Crystron Thystvern to begin flying through.

"Brilliant ametrine, shimmer and sparkle with the life-giving might of water!" Aoi chanted. "Empower the graceful machine! Synchro Summon!" Crystron Thystvern let out a mighty roar as its body vanished, leaving a trio of stars behind as a brilliant line of light shot through them and the rings. "Arise, Crystron Ametrix (2500/1500)!" The light faded, revealing a tall, dark purple robot standing in place of the two monsters that were once there. "Battle! Crystron Ametrix, destroy Gatling Ogre!" With this order, Ametrix leaped up into the air and threw both feet out, kicking Gatling Ogre hard enough to cause its holographic body to explode into bits of data.

"NO!" Lawton cried as his Life Points hit 0, his Duel Runner stalling and slowly coming to a halt. Within seconds, he was surrounded by the police. With a low growl of defeat, he slowly raised his hands over his head, allowing the officers to take him into custody.

Ikenami let out a sigh of relief as the officer who had been tailing Lawton came to a halt alongside her. "Officer Ikenami. Always a pleasure to watch you in action."

Aoi narrowed her eyes. "Cadet Hikaru. Would you mind telling me why YOU were chasing a wanted fugitive without back-up?"

Yudai Hikaru blushed a little, removing his helmet to let his spiky blond hair with pink bangs get some air. "We were on a training exercise when the break-out happened, and we all split up to deal with them, so-"

"At ease, cadet," Officer Ikenami interjected, smirking. "You did a fine job. Keep this up, and you'll find yourself with officer status sooner than you think. Just remember: Next time, at least TRY to wait for another officer to join you."

Yudai nodded. "I'll try, ma'am."

"Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, I believe you're expected elsewhere right now?" Aoi asked. "Weren't you going to meet with a family member after training today?"

Yudai's face told the story: He'd completely forgotten. "Oh...right. Wataru. He'll be staying with me for a little while since his parents are on a business trip. He's waiting for me at the new Duel Park near Tops."

"Better get going then," Ikenami insisted, Yudai giving a quick salute before putting his helmet back on and speeding off toward Tops.

_He's actually getting surprisingly good,_ Aoi considered, watching Yudai leave. _It may be necessary to test him soon..._

* * *

Yudai looked ahead as he saw the Duel Park come into view. Soon enough, he spotted his target: His cousin, Wataru Hikaru, in all his lime-haired glory. However, as he got closer, he watched as a young man closer to his own age approach Wataru aggressively. He was wearing a long black leather jacket and a jet-black Duel Disk, and had slicked-back red hair. In fact, as he came to a halt at the edge of the park, it was clear the man wasn't Japanese at all.

American? Yudai considered, getting off his Duel Runner as Wataru took notice of him, running as fast as he could toward his older cousin. Guess I'll find out...

"Yudai!" Wataru cried, running to the cadet's side. "Save me, Yudai!"

The young man who had apparently been verbally harassing him scoffed at this. "Hey, are you going to run to the nearest police officer every time you have a problem?! Be a man!"

_Well, he speaks Japanese well enough, anyway,_ Yudai noted.

"He's my cousin," Yudai explained, removing his helmet. "And I'm merely a cadet. Now, what exactly seems to be the problem, mister...?"

The man in the black jacket slapped his own chest. "I am Darren King, top Duelist of my hometown! I came to this city looking for better Duelists, but so far, all I find are children using low-Level monsters like this brat!"

Cadet Hikaru's eyes narrowed at this comment. "Is there something wrong with low-Level monsters I'm not familiar with?"

"Duelists should use high-Level monsters with immense power to overwhelm opponents!" King answered, his tone becoming aggravating to Yudai. "Low-Level monsters are for children!"

"Is that so?" Yudai asked, reaching back to detach his Duel Disk from his Runner and placing it on his arm. "My deck primarily consists of Level 4 or lower monsters. If you think your approach to Dueling is so correct that it allows bullying children, then you wouldn't mind proving it in a Duel with me."

Darren scoffed, clenching a fist. "You'll eat those words before the sun sets, 'Cadet'! I'll even let you have the first turn!"

"Fine by me," Yudai replied, walking over toward the center of the park as he and Darren slid their decks into their Duel Disks, their cards being shuffled. "Wataru, watch from the sidelines."

"Okay!" Wataru exclaimed, running over to the side of the park as his cousin prepared to Duel his bully. "Get him good, Yudai!"

" _ **DUEL!**_ " the two duelists shouted, drawing their opening hands of five cards each.

"My turn! Draw!" Yudai called, drawing his sixth card and looking over his current hand before deciding on his opening move. "Under current rules here in New Domino City, we cannot Normal Summon monsters face-up in defense position! Therefore, I set one monster face-down!" Setting a card on his Duel Disk, he watched as a hologram of a face-down card set horizontally appeared on the field. "Then I set one card face-down in the Spell/Trap Zone! Turn end!"

"Hmph!" Darren scoffed. "You talk big about showing how my way is wrong, and now all you do is cower behind defenses?! I'll teach you to waste my time!"

Hikaru smirked, surprising Darren. "If you think you can, come and try."

Darren grit his teeth, pulling a card free from the top of his deck. "My turn! When my opponent controls a monster and I don't, I can Normal Summon my Level 5 Power Crusher (2100/0) without a Tribute!" Slapping his own monster card to his disk, King caused a large, muscular purple and orange Fiend-type monster to appear on the field opposite of Yudai's set monster. "Battle! Power Crusher, attack Yudai's face-down monster!" Power Crusher leaped across the field and smashed both hands into the back of the face-down card, blowing it to bits...only for the pieces to reform face-up as a rather cute-looking marshmallow-like monster appeared and bit down on Power Crusher's arms with surprisingly long and sharp teeth. "What the-?!"

"Too bad, but the monster you attacked was Marshmallon, a monster who cannot be destroyed in battle!" Yudai explained with a confident grin. "Furthermore, Marshmallon's effect has been activated: If it's attacked, and was face-down at the start of the Damage Step, the attacking player takes 1000 damage!"

Darren growled lowly as his Life Points dropped to 3000 before raising a spell card from his hand. "I active Double Summon, allowing me to conduct two Normal Summons instead of one this turn! Now, I Normal Summon Gene-Warped Warwolf!" Darren slapped a second monster card to his disk, creating the image of a four-armed werewolf to appear next to Power Crusher. "Turn end!"

Yudai looked over the field, observing Darren's monsters, and reflecting on the past turn. "...A Power Deck, one that focuses on getting monsters with high attack power summoned to the field quickly."

Darren furrowed his brow. "Your point?"

Hikaru looked Darren in the eye, seemingly glancing into his soul. "Your deck and strategy...It's not unlike the Turbo Duel King, Jack Atlas, is it not?"

King felt his voice temporarily caught in his throat as he was about to reply, but quickly recomposed himself. "...It's true. I admire him and his power, such that I decided to emulate it. And why shouldn't I emulate the King? Even my name is King! And a true King in Dueling crushes all opposition with overwhelming power!"

"You're not a King yet," Yudai pointed out. "And blindly attempting to emulate one will not a great Duelist make you."

Darren felt his face heat up as he ground his teeth together harder and harder with each passing moment. "If you think you know what will, by all means, demonstrate!"

Yudai nodded, pulling a new card free. "My turn! I activate the Spell card, Photon Veil!" Yudai held the spell up, along with three monster cards: Watapon, Shining Angel, and Hoshiningen. "I must shuffle 3 LIGHT monsters from my hand into the Deck, and then add 1 to 3 Level 4 or lower LIGHT monsters from my Deck to my hand! If I add 2 or more monsters, they must have the same name!" Discarding Photon Veil to the Graveyard, Yudai then placed the monsters in his deck, which the Duel Disk then shuffled. "I choose to add 3 Watapons (200/300) to my hand!" Hikaru immediately pulled the three Watapon cards from his deck, then placed them all on his disk, causing all three pink cotton puffs with eyes to appear on the field in defense position. "Watapon's effect: When it's added from my deck to my hand, I can then Special Summon it!"

Darren laughed. "You summon your puffballs at your own peril! When my opponent Special Summons a monster, I can discard 1 card to Special Summon Chaos Hunter (2500/1600) from my hand!" King then smacked a card down onto his disk, causing his whip-bearing female Fiend in blood red armour to appear.

_Damn,_ Yudai thought. _The strategy I was going to use now won't work here. I'll have to hold off attacks until I draw the card I need to make this work..._

"Reverse card, open: Marshmallon Glasses!" Yudai called, his face-down card flipping over to reveal a spell card. "While Marshmallon is in my Monster Zone, my opponent cannot target monsters other than Marshmallon for attacks! Turn end!"

"My turn!" Darren roared, smiling at the card he drew. "I Normal Summon Lancer Archfiend (1600/1400)!" An armoured fiend with twin lances appeared next to Chaos Hunter on the field. "Battle! Chaos Hunter, attack Yudai's Marshmallon!"

"Huh?!" Wataru exclaimed, confused. "But Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle! Why attack it?!"

King smirked deviously. "Lancer Archfiend's effect activates: Once per turn, when a monster I control declares an attack targeting a Defense Position monster my opponent controls, during this battle, if the ATK of the attacking monster is greater than the DEF of the Defense Position monster it battles, the difference is inflicted as Battle Damage!"

"What?!" Yudai demanded, unable to do anything to defend himself as Chaos Hunter's whip actually pierced through Marshmallon's body to strike him, reducing his Life Points to 2000.

"Yudai, hang in there!" Wataru called from the sidelines. "Don't let him win!"

Darren chuckled as Yudai recomposed himself, his opponent's gaze cast downward. "Turn end! Yudai, on my next turn, Chaos Hunter will attack again, and your remaining Life Points will drop to 0! None of your weak, low leveled monsters can stop that!"

Yudai slowly looked up through his pink bangs into Darren's eyes, surprising his opponent with his confident grin. "...I wonder about that."

Darren's eyes widened in shock. "Y-You can't! You can't make a comeback from this!"

"A word of advice," Yudai replied, placing a finger over the top card in his deck. "Power comes in all forms, and all monsters, big and small, can be powerful."

_Deck, respond to my wishes...!_ Yudai prayed.

"My turn! Draw!" Yudai shouted, drawing the top card and glancing at it. He smiled at the image of the two hands locked together on the spell card, but quickly drew a monster card from his hand and placed it on the Duel Disk. "I Normal Summon The Calculator (?/0)!" A small red robot with a video screen for a head and several buttons like those found on a calculator on its chest appeared on the field. "The Calculator's effect: The Calculator's ATK is the combined Levels of all face-up monsters I control x 300!"

Darren watched as The Calculator hit the buttons on its chest to make "8 x 300 = 2400" appear on its screen. "Even with that much power, it can't defeat my Chaos Hunter!"

"I now activate my spell, United We Stand!" Yudai yelled, playing his spell card as a glowing aura enveloped The Calculator. "The monster equipped with this card gains 800 ATK and DEF for each face-up monster I control!" The Calculator hummed with power as the spell increased its ATK and DEF by 4000, electricity running violently throughout its body.

"6400 ATK?!" Darren hollered, feeling fear creep into his mind as The Calculator squared off with Chaos Hunter.

"Battle!" Yudai ordered. "The Calculator, attack Darren's Chaos Hunter!" The Calculator spread its arms out, high voltage passing between its hands, before channeling it into a massive lightning bolt that flew out and stabbed into Chaos Hunter, obliterating her into tiny data bits as Darren looked on in horror, his Life Points hitting 0.

"...H-How...?" Darren demanded. "How could you...with such low-Level monsters?"

"It's as I said," Yudai explained as the holograms faded with the Duel's end. "Power comes in all forms. If you turn your nose up at monsters just for their Level, you might be missing out on something special. If you really plan to become King someday, you should try to remember that."

Darren didn't say anything, simply watching as Hikaru turned and walked away. Feeling that saying anything now would ultimately be pointless, he himself made an about-face and took his leave in his own direction, this loss forever etched into his soul.

"Way to go, Yudai!" Wataru cheered, high-fiving his older cousin. "Nobody can defeat the future Officer Hikaru!"

Yudai smirked. "Thank you. Now that that's out of the way, we should head for home. I've got your cot set up for you in the living room."

"A cot?" Wataru asked, baffled. "Yudai, that's not the sort of thing you set up for family to sleep in!"

Hikaru chuckled, rolling his eyes at this behaviour. As he did, though, he couldn't help but hear the sound of a rather feminine giggle coming from his Duel Runner. Walking over to check on it, he was confused as to what was laying in the seat: A Duel Monsters card, sitting face-down.

"What the-?" Wataru inquired. "Did you drop one of your cards, Yudai?"

"I don't think so, but..." Yudai started to say before reaching down to pick up the card. Turning it over, he saw it was a Fairy-type Synchro Monster wearing a teal-coloured dress. He read the text along the top. "...'Neo-Fairy Teal'?"

Wataru scratched his chin in confusion. "Doesn't sound like any card I've ever heard of."

"Yeah..." Yudai muttered, hesitantly placing it in the Extra Deck slot of his Duel Disk before plugging said disk into his Duel Runner. "...Come on, we're going home."

* * *

**This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards**

Power Crusher  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: DARK  
Types: Fiend/Effect  
Level: 5  
ATK/DEF: 2100/0  
Effects: If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributes. If you do, this monster's Normal Summon cannot be negated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...That's right. I didn't get enough punishment writing a one-shot of Yu-Gi-Oh!, I had to make a full fanfic. To explain what I mean by punishment, let me explain this to you: Writing duels is REALLY HARD. You have to keep track of so many details that now, when I close my eyes after working on the fic, all I see are numbers. lol
> 
> Here's the basic method I have, though, for anyone who might be interested in writing Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction: First, I plan out the duel itself. Basically, I have a file in Notepad that's just each player's turn, their current Life Points, what they do in each turn, the effects of what they do overall, and it goes until one player beats the other one. Of course, to do this, I also have to have made notes as to what kinds of cards each Duelist has, which I made full lists of in Google Docs. And, by the way, when writing these fics, Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia is your best friend. lol Anyway, once the actual duel itself is planned out from start to finish, then and only then do I start writing it out in story format. And once that's done, then I fill in everything else that I want to happen within that chapter in terms of the story and the character interactions. So, in short, it's a long and hard process, but it results in as close to a recreation of the general events and flow of an episode of the show as can possibly be achieved.
> 
> ...So yeah, with that out of the way, welcome to the new Yu-Gi-Oh! fic. lol As told in the story itself, this takes place a few years after the end of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. I wanted to do 5D's because it was my favourite Yu-Gi-Oh! series (no, seriously, I actually liked the season that gave us Card Games On Motorcycles the best), and other than seeing alternate universe versions of some of the characters in Arc-V, we never got to see any kind of follow-up on Yusei or the other characters after the show was over, and I thought that was a damned shame. Even Jaden got to come back for the movie, after all. And yes, in case you're wondering, we WILL be seeing more past characters from 5D's like Lawton return later on, as well as maybe the return of certain concepts showcased in previous Yu-Gi-Oh! seasons. Also, just getting this out of the way now, I'm using MOSTLY names and terminology from the English dub of the show, but I'm not excluding any events that were left out of the dub. If it happened in the original version of the show, it happened here. Likewise, I'm not using any of the changes to the characters that were made by 4Kids, so don't expect to hear Yusei saying "Let's rev it up!" when he shows up later on.
> 
> Anyway, be sure to check in next time as Yudai is tested by his superior, Aoi Ikenami, using the best means she has: A Turbo Duel! Ja né!


	2. The Life-Giving Might of Water! Crystron Ametrix!

Yudai waited patiently as he stood on a street corner next to his Duel Runner. It was his day off, and he was out of uniform, instead wearing a yellow and white jacket over a light gray tank top and dark gray jeans. He had originally planned to spend the day hanging out with Wataru, but had had to cancel on his cousin when he got a message from Officer Ikenami to meet with him here. And while he was admittedly a little early, he'd nonetheless been waiting for nearly a half hour after she'd requested his presence.

Still, Yudai had to admit that waiting on Ikenami was at least better than what he had been doing so far today: Looking up information on the card he found the other day. There were no records of a 'Neo-Fairy Teal' card in any card databases he'd checked, but every scan he'd done on the card suggested it was legit. Something felt very off, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Hikaru!" a voice called, Yudai turning to his left to see Ikenami riding up on her own Runner, removing her helmet to let her long, dark hair spill out. "Sorry I'm late. I was just getting off duty when we got a call in."

"Don't tell me, another case about a Turbo Duelist causing others to crash?" Yudai guessed, getting a nod. "What is going on in this city lately? This is the fifth one this month."

"It gets odder, if you can believe it," Aoi replied, her tone getting a little grave. "Reports suggest that these Duelists received strange cards from some outside source, and that, after adding them to their decks, it made the damage done in battle real."

Hikaru's eyes widened in shock. "How is THAT possible?!"

"To be honest, it's not the first case of this I've heard of," Aoi admitted. "My teacher, the one who taught me all I know about Turbo Dueling, once told me about the Ark Cradle incident from long ago, and how there were apparently cases where Duelists could inflict real damage on each other. One case he mentioned was the existence of 'cards of darkness', which were given to Duelists by outside forces."

"Could these cards be what's responsible?" Yudai inquired.

Ikenami considered it for a moment. "The descriptions don't line up exactly, but it could be a lead nonetheless. Just keep an eye out nonetheless. So far, the cards I've heard about were seemingly otherwise unknown cards. No one had ever heard of them before, and there were no traces of them in the databases. Furthermore, it seems that, after their owners were defeated, they just...vanished."

Yudai's blood ran cold as he took in Aoi's words. _'Previously unknown cards given through mysterious circumstances'? Then, could the one I got the other day be...?_

Aoi looked into Yudai's eyes, catching his deep thinking. "...Cadet? Is something wrong?"

Yudai shook his head. "...It's nothing. Anyway, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?"

Ikenami looked suspicious, but dropped it for now. "Well, as you know, graduation from the police academy is coming up soon-"

"I-I wouldn't say I'm THAT close to graduating," Hikaru interjected quickly, blushing a little. "I'm sure I still have a lot to learn."

"You've learned plenty, Yudai," Aoi replied honestly. "You still have a little to learn about listening to orders, but your skills are exactly what we need, and your desire to uphold the law and protect the people of New Domino City are genuine."

Yudai smiled at this compliment. "Th-Thank you, ma'am."

"With that said, there's one thing I've wanted to do to test you," Aoi noted with a grin. "A Turbo Duel to determine your readiness in the field."

Hikaru's eyes widened in surprise, having never expected to be challenged by Ikenami. "...O...Of course! I'll do my very best, Officer Ikenami!"

Aoi rolled her eyes, putting her helmet back on and Yudai got on his Duel Runner, placing his own helmet on. "And for this Duel, I have a surprise: The brand new Speed World MAX, which was uploaded onto all our Duel Runners today!"

"Speed World MAX?" Yudai asked, pulling his Runner up next to Aoi's. "What's different about this one?"

"When a player takes damage, 1 of their Speed Counters is removed for each multiple of 1000 damage that player took," Officer Ikenami explained. "Also, in addition to the effects granted by removing Speed Counters from Speed World 2, if you remove 12, you can draw 2 cards."

"So, more strategy involved in using it," Yudai summarized, grinning a little as he hit a button on his Runner's controls. "Sounds good to me. Field Spell, Speed World MAX, set on! Turbo Duel..."

" _ **ACCELERATION!**_ " both Yudai and Aoi yelled, speeding off on the Duel Runners. As their Duel began, the displays on their Runners revealed the route for them to proceed along, the city's automated displays letting civilians know a Duel was taking place and to avoid going in their lane.

"I'll let you have the first turn!" Aoi declared, intentionally slowing down to let Yudai make his way through the first corner of their route.

" _ **DUEL!**_ " both Turbo Duelists shouted, drawing their opening hands.

"My turn! Draw!" Yudai yelled as he drew his sixth card, his eyes narrowing at his hand.

 _Not many options here,_ Hikaru thought before grabbing hold of a card. _Still, maybe I can throw her off a little..._

"I Normal Summon Watapon (200/300)!" Yudai called, confusing Aoi as his pink puffball appeared alongside his Runner in attack position. "Then I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

 _That's not like him to waste his Normal Summon on a Watapon,_ Ikenami thought, her lips twisting into a smirk. _What are you up to, Yudai Hikaru?_

"It's my turn! Draw!" Aoi exclaimed, pulling a card free from the top of her deck as both she and Yudai gained a Speed Counter. "I Normal Summon the Tuner monster, Crystron Citree (500/500)!" Officer Ikenami slapped a monster card down on her disk, causing it to create a hologram of a small green and gold robot. "Battle! Crystron Citree, attack Yudai's Watapon!" Ikenami's small robot immediately flew over toward Watapon and threw both feet out, looking to stomp on it.

"Trap card, open: Defense Draw!" Yudai shouted, his face-down card flipping up to reveal itself as a trap. "I take no battle damage this turn, and I draw 1 card!" Hikaru added a single card from his deck as Watapon was smashed to data bits by Crystron Citree.

Aoi let out a small laugh. "So, you summoned Watapon as a means of drawing me out! Clever! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Yudai grinned as Aoi's two cards appeared on the field before drawing for the start of his turn, his and Officer Ikenami's Speed Counters increasing to 2 each. "Then it's back to my turn!" Looking over his hand, Yudai spotted one particular card of interest: Speed Spell - Angel Baton.

 _If I use this card to add more to my hand, I could draw another Watapon and Special Summon it to the field,_ Yudai thought, glancing at his Speed Counters. _And it looks like I have enough to try..._

"I play Speed Spell - Angel Baton!" Hikaru called out. "While I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I can draw 2 cards, and then send 1 card from my hand to my Graveyard!" Sending the spell to the Graveyard, Yudai then drew his new cards, and smiled triumphantly at the Watapon among them.

"Trap activate: Coast Guard!" Aoi hollered, catching Yudai off-guard as her trap was sprung. "For the rest of this turn, my opponent cannot Special Summon monsters!"

 _Damn, she figured me out!_ Yudai realized. Looking his cards over now, it was clear that Watapon wasn't going to be of much help, so he discarded it to the Graveyard. _Still, I might have one other solution..._

"I Normal Summon Clumsy Angel (2100/0)!" Yudai exclaimed, bringing out a klutzy-looking female angel to the field. However, as soon as she appeared, she promptly fell over, exploding into bits of data.

"What the hell?" Ikenami demanded, baffled.

"When Clumsy Angel is Normal Summoned, she is automatically destroyed," Yudai explained, discarding Clumsy Angel before setting a pair of cards in his Spell/Trap Zone. "I set two cards face-down! Turn end!"

 _He's wasted his Normal Summon again,_ Aoi thought, confused, until realization hit her. _Of course! Coast Guard only remained active until the end of the turn! He plans to resurrect her next turn, when he's free to Special Summon!_

Ikenami looked at the holographic face-down cards floating next to Yudai's Duel Runner. _One of those face-down cards must be meant to bring her back. I'll have to be prepared for her, and I know just what to have ready to face her..._

* * *

Meanwhile, Wataru was in the process of leaving the apartment complex with his deck and Duel Disk. He didn't really hold it against Yudai that he had to cancel their plans, since that was the nature of his job. Still, it was a bit of a pain, and he didn't necessarily feel inclined to stay at home all day, so he left a note for Yudai and headed out.

"Hey there!" someone yelled, Wataru looking ahead to spot a boy about his age. "You're a Duelist, right?!"

Wataru blinked, holding up his disk. "...Yeah, that's pretty much what this is for."

"Awesome!" the boy yelled. "I'm Ross! You wanna Duel?! There's a great open space about a block away from here!"

Wataru gave a wide, toothy grin. "You're on! Let's go!"

With that, the two boys dashed off to an open, vacant lot a block away, completely unaware that they were being watched from an alley not far off. In it, a man grit his teeth angrily before getting onto a monowheel-looking Duel Runner, revving its engine.

* * *

"My move!" Aoi shouted, adding a new card to her hand before placing a monster card on her disk, all the while she and Yudai each gained one additional Speed Counter. "I Normal Summon Crystron Thystvern (1500/1500)!"

Yudai watched as a violet-coloured draconic-looking robot appeared in the air next to Crystron Citree. _Here it comes: Her signature monster._

"I tune my Level 3 Crystron Thystvern with my Level 2 Crystron Citree!" Ikenami called, Crystron Citree's body glowing bright green before exploding into a pair of green rings for Crystron Thystvern to begin flying through. "Brilliant ametrine, shimmer and sparkle with the life-giving might of water! Empower the graceful machine!" Crystron Thystvern let out a roar as a trio of stars began glowing in its body, a brilliant line of light shooting through it and the rings. "Synchro Summon! Arise, Crystron Ametrix (2500/1500)!" The light faded, revealing a tall, dark purple robot standing in place of the two monsters that were once there. "Battle! Crystron Ametrix, attack Yudai directly!"

Yudai watched as Crystron Ametrix threw a dive kick toward him before hitting a button on his Duel Disk, causing his face-down card to flip up. "Trap activate: Call of the Haunted! By targeting 1 monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon that target in Attack Position!"

"Knew it!" Aoi hissed.

"Revive, Clumsy Angel!" Yudai ordered, Clumsy Angel appearing on the field to oppose Crystron Ametrix.

"It's still too weak!" Ikenami observed. "Crystron Ametrix, destroy Clumsy Angel!" Aoi's robot proceeded to continue its attack, only this time aiming a kick at Clumsy Angel's head.

"I activate the Trap card Blast with Chain!" Yudai shouted, his remaining face-down card flipping up to cause Clumsy Angel to gain hold of a lethal-looking chain hooked to an explosive. "I target 1 face-up monster I control and equip this card to it! Now Clumsy Angel gains 500 ATK!"

"Shit!" Aoi cursed as Clumsy Angel swung the chain at Crystron Ametrix, shattering it to pieces as her Life Points dropped by 100. "Trap card, Torrential Reborn! When a face-up WATER monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon them, and then inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each one!"

"What?!" Yudai cried, just before a wave of water launched out from the card and shook his Duel Runner hard. He grit his teeth hard as he righted himself, his Life Points descending to 3500, all the while Crystron Ametrix returned to the field.

"I set one card face-down!" Aoi declared. "Turn end!"

 _Crystron Ametrix's effect allows its owner to Special Summon one Crystron monster in their Graveyard, but she didn't use it,_ Yudai thought, his eyes narrowed as they drifted to Aoi's face-down card. _So, is that a Trap to strengthen Ametrix, or a bluff?_

"My turn!" Yudai yelled, ripping a card off the top of his deck as he and Aoi's Speed Counters both reached 4. Looking at it, he heard a feminine giggle that seemed to come from his Extra Deck.

 _White Potan,_ Yudai thought, looking over his new card before glancing at Clumsy Angel. _Clumsy Angel IS a Tuner Monster. I could tune it to a Level 1 monster like White Potan, but..._

" _Reports suggest that these Duelists received strange cards from some outside source, and that, after adding them to their decks, it made the damage done in battle real,_ " Yudai recalled Aoi telling him previously. " _So far, the cards I've heard about were seemingly otherwise unknown cards. No one had ever heard of them before, and there were no traces of them in the databases._ "

Yudai shook his head, growling a little at himself as he came to a conclusion. "Battle! Clumsy Angel, attack Crystron Ametrix!"

Ikenami smirked as Yudai's monster swung her chain at Ametrix. "Trap card, open! Reinforcements! I increase Crystron Ametrix's ATK by 500!"

"Shit!" Yudai cursed, watching as Ametrix's ATK increased to 3000, allowing it to easily kick clean through Clumsy Angel and destroy her, causing Yudai's Life Points to drop by 400. "I set one monster face-down! Turn end!"

Aoi's face softened slightly as she got over her small victory, instead finding herself focused on Yudai's conflicted glance. _Something's wrong. That was too thoughtless a move by Yudai. Was he simply calling my bluff, or is something else going on?_

Aoi gave her head a small shake, deciding to continue as she and Yudai each reached 5 Speed Counters. "My turn! I Normal Summon Barrier Statue of the Torrent (1000/1000)!" Ikenami placed the monster card on her disk, creating the image of an amphibian statue armed with a trident. "Battle! Barrier Statue of the Torrent, attack Yudai's face-down monster!" With that order, the statue came to life and stabbed its trident into the face-down card, revealing White Potan for a moment before monster and card were destroyed. However, in that moment, White Potan spat a white glob at Aoi's Runner, causing it to shake a little as Aoi's Life Points dropped to 3400.

"When White Potan is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, it inflicts 500 damage to my opponent!" Yudai explained.

"Crystron Ametrix, attack Yudai directly!" Aoi ordered, to which her robotic minion slammed a foot into Yudai's Duel Runner, causing it to almost spin out of control as his Life Points dropped down to a mere 600 and his Speed Counters were lowered by 2. "Turn end!"

 _Why am I hesitating?_ Yudai demanded of himself, grabbing hold of the top card on his deck. _It's like Ikenami has said since I joined the Academy: I already have what I need to win. I just have to trust myself and my deck..._

"My turn! Draw!" Yudai shouted while pulling a new card free, his Speed Counters reaching 3 while Aoi's increased to 6. Looking at the card he pulled, he smiled confidently before placing it on the field, causing a red robot to appear on the field. "I Normal Summon The Calculator (?/0)! The Calculator's ATK is the combined Levels of all face-up monsters I control x 300!"

"Meaning it only has 600 ATK, since it's the only monster on your side!" Ikenami pointed out as The Calculator did the math itself using the buttons on its body. "And with Barrier Statue of the Torrent on the field, no monsters other than WATER monsters can be Special Summoned! Without more monsters, your Calculator is too weak!"

Yudai let out a small chuckle at this as he grabbed hold of a card in his hand. "...I wonder about that. I activate Speed Spell - Tune Up 123! While I have 4 or more Speed Counters, I select 1 face-up monster you control! Then a six-sided die is rolled to increase that monster's Level by 1, 2, or 3!" Sure enough, as he said this, a holographic die rolled along beside Yudai's Runner before coming to a stop at 5. "A 5 means The Calculator's Level is increased by 3, making its ATK 2400!"

 _Enough to destroy my Barrier Statue of the Torrent!_ Aoi realized.

"Next, I activate Speed World MAX's effect!" Yudai went on, showing another Speed Spell in his hand. "By revealing any number of Speed Spell cards in my hand, and reducing my Speed Counters by 4, I inflict 800 damage to my opponent for each card revealed!"

"Oh no!" Ikenami cried as a blast fired out from Yudai's Duel Runner and hit hers, reducing her Life Points to 3100. Meanwhile, Yudai's Runner slowed down immensely due to the loss of his Speed Counters.

"Battle!" Yudai declared. "The Calculator, attack Barrier Statue of the Torrent!" At this command, Calculator unleashed a burst of electricity from its hands that blew Aoi's Barrier Statue apart, causing her Life Points to fall to 2900. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

Ikenami watched as Yudai started to catch up again, his face more confident than it was at the end of his previous turn. "Well done, Yudai. You've undone the lock I had on your Special Summons. In fact, I assume that's what your face-down card is for. However, it won't last!"

"We'll see!" Yudai shot back with a smile.

* * *

Wataru grinned as he pulled the top card from his deck free. He still had 2800 Life Points, while Ross was at a mere 1100. Granted, Wataru had no cards on the field, and Ross had his Cosmo Queen (2900/2450) out, but Wataru was about to deliver the finishing blow.

"I Normal Summon Atlantean Pikeman (1400/0)!" Wataru declared, summoning a Level 2 fishman-like Monster with a pike. "Next, I play the Spell card Amulet of Ambition and equip it to my Pikeman! Now, whenever Atlantean Pikeman battles a Monster with a higher Level, it gains 500 ATK x the difference in Levels during that battle!"

"N-No way!" Ross exclaimed, looking noticeably worried as a golden amulet attached to Atlantean Pikeman.

"Let's go!" Wataru shouted. "Pikeman, skewer Ross' Cosmo Queen!" Atlantean Pikeman raced across the field, pike at the ready as his attack power climbed by an astonishing 3000. He then ran through Cosmo Queen, obliterating her and taking out the last of Ross' Life Points. "Yeah, I won!"

Ross let out a sigh, walking over to high five his opponent. "That was an awesome Duel. You're really strong."

Wataru smiled, scratching his nose. "Thanks! You're pretty tough, too!"

"...Children with such weak Monsters..." a voice muttered, causing the two to glance to the entrance of the lot at a man mounted on a Duel Runner, "...shouldn't be fit to call themselves 'strong'!"

"Wh-Wh-Who is that?!" Ross asked, the two kids backing away as the man got off his Runner, slapping his Duel Disk on.

* * *

"My turn!" Aoi called, returning the smile as her Speed Counters hit 7, Yudai likewise gaining a new Speed Counter. "Yudai, I warned you! Reverse card, open: Call of the Haunted! Be revived, Barrier Statue of the Torrent!" Yudai watched as Ikenami successfully Special Summoned her once fallen statue back to the field. "Battle! Crystron Ametrix, destroy The Calculator! Without being able to Special Summon more monsters, it will fall, and you'll be open for a direct attack!"

Yudai calmly grinned as Ametrix rushed toward The Calculator, much to Aoi's astonishment. "We'll see! Trap card, open: Rescue Stars!"

Aoi's eyes shot open to the size of saucers, all while the number read-out on The Calculator's screen increased. "What?!"

"Until the end of this turn, The Calculator's Level is doubled from 5 to 10!" Yudai explained as The Calculator's ATK likewise doubled from 1500 to 3000. With this much power, it unleashed a massive wave of electricity that fried Ametrix, causing its body to fall apart while Aoi lost 500 Life Points.

Aoi grimaced slightly, knowing she'd been caught off-guard, but kept calm. "...Well done, but I still have 2400 Life Points left! Let's see how you deal with-"

Before Ikenami could finish her sentence, the two heard a loud explosion to their right. Staring off into the distance, they watched as a thick cloud of smoke rose up into the sky...not far from where Yudai's apartment was. Hikaru felt his blood turn ice cold at the sight of it.

"...Wataru!" Yudai shouted immediately. "I left him at home!"

"We'll finish this Duel another time!" Aoi yelled, deactivating Duel Mode for their Runners. "We have to get there immediately!"

"Roger!" Yudai replied, the two speeding to the closest exit off the bridge and heading toward the site of the explosion. "...Wataru...PLEASE be okay...!"

* * *

**This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards**

Speed World MAX  
Card type: Spell  
Property: Field  
Effects: If a player activates a non-"Speed Spell" Spell Card, they take 2000 damage. Except during the first turn of the Duel, during each player's Standby Phases, each player places 1 Speed Counter on their copy of this card (max. 12 each). When a player takes damage, remove 1 of their Speed Counters from this card for each multiple of 1000 damage that player took. You can remove any number of your Speed Counters from this card to activate an appropriate effect:  
● 4: Reveal any number of "Speed Spell" Spell Cards in your hand, and inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each card revealed.  
● 7: Draw 1 card.  
● 10: Destroy 1 card on the field.  
● 12: Draw 2 cards.

Coast Guard  
Card type: Trap  
Property: Normal  
Effects: Your opponent cannot Special Summon monsters until the end of this turn.

Clumsy Angel  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: LIGHT  
Types: Fairy/Tuner/Effect  
Level: 3  
ATK/DEF: 2100/0  
Effects: When this card is Normal Summoned: Destroy this card. Your opponent cannot target this card with card effects.

Rescue Stars  
Card type: Trap  
Property: Normal  
Effects: Target 1 face-up monster you control: Until the end of this turn, its Level is doubled (max: 12).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, let's talk a bit about the decks of the main characters. If you haven't guessed it by now, Yudai's deck largely focuses on LIGHT and/or Fairy-type Monsters, with The Calculator being the current powerhouse of his deck. To get the most out of The Calculator that he can, he typically tries to flood the field with low-Level Monsters, then use cards like Rescue Stars or United We Stand to further pump Calculator's ATK up. Also, because he has three copies of Watapon in his deck, he tends to favour a lot of cards that involve drawing new cards, since obtaining Watapon through one of them allows him to Special Summon it directly to the field. And Monsters like Marshmallon and Clumsy Angel are good at either delivering damage or holding the opponent at bay until he can set up for his big move. In terms of his general play style, Yudai is very good at making calculations in battle and keeping the odds in his favour. However, he has a tendency to overthink things at times. Also, while he honestly tries, he can have trouble putting complete faith in his cards, instead trying to rely on logic and numbers to win him through, something he has to remind himself about from time to time.
> 
> Aoi uses a Crystron Deck, and if you don't know, Crystron Monsters are all Machine-type WATER Monsters who are based off of various minerals and are generally themed around the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. For example, Crystron Thystvern was based off an amethyst and the Azure Dragon of the East. The general play-style of a Crystron Deck is usually to swarm the field with Monster cards and start Synchro Summoning. However, in addition to this, I also included a few cards (like the Coast Guard card I designed) to ensure that Aoi is the only one who will be Special Summoning, thus keeping the advantage with her. Admittedly, this isn't really the best introduction to them. Don't worry, though, we'll get a better look at what she's capable of very soon. As a Duelist, Aoi is very confident, able to keep her cool when she's on the defensive, and knows how to keep the pressure on her opponents. And, between her Dueling style, plus the belief she instills in her own students at the academy to believe in one's deck, you can probably guess who her teacher was. However, she's not perfect by any means, and can get caught off-guard if she gets too overconfident.
> 
> I won't get too much into Wataru's deck, seeing as how we didn't see much of him in action this chapter, but I will say that he shares Yudai's affinity for low-Level monsters. I'll get more into it later on, as well as the decks of other major characters who pop up. For now, check back next time as Yudai finds himself in a Duel against a familiar foe with an overwhelming new power. Ja né!


	3. Rise From Thy Throne, Power Emperor!

Yudai and Aoi finally came to a halt in front of an open lot, which had smoke rising up from it and a nearby building. To Yudai's horror, Wataru was being held up by his collar by a figure dressed in a white riding suit and helmet. Wataru looked to have a few bruises here and there, while another boy was curled up in a corner after seemingly being beaten.

"WATARU!" Yudai shouted, getting off his Duel Runner.

Hearing this, the man holding Wataru up dropped him, letting him scramble away before turning to face Yudai and Aoi. Yudai's eyes widened: The man standing before him was dressed to look just like the Turbo Duel King himself, Jack Atlas. There was even a Duel Runner that was a dead ringer for the Wheel of Fortune nearby. However, on closer inspection, it was clear this man wasn't Jack Atlas, but rather...

"Darren King?!" Hikaru demanded, Darren removing his helmet as Ikenami checked on Ross. "What's the meaning of all this?!"

Darren laughed, his voice much deeper and more resembling the man he was dressed up as. "Yudai Hikaru! I knew if I came after the little brat, it'd bring you out! I've been looking for you!"

"What happened to you?!" Yudai demanded, all the while Wataru hid behind him. "You seem...different!"

"What, this?" Darren inquired, gesturing at his clothes. "I've been given a great gift, Yudai! I am now everything I always dreamed of: I! AM! KING!"

Yudai looked confused, leading King to draw an unfamiliar Synchro Monster card from his Extra Deck. "And I owe it all to this: My newest Monster, and the avatar of my very soul, Power Emperor!"

"Power...Emperor?" Yudai asked.

Ikenami stepped forward. "Another card of darkness! The cards that make damage in Duels real!"

"It's true!" Wataru pointed out. "Ross, he...he tried to help me, but Darren Summoned a Monster, and...and it did all this!"

"Attacking children and causing willful destruction like this is an arrestable offense!" Aoi declared, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. As she went to put them on Darren, however, he merely grabbed her by the wrists and tossed her into a wall.

"If you want to try that again, you're welcome!" Darren mocked before pointing a finger at Yudai. "That is, after I'm through with HIM! I want a rematch, Yudai Hikaru, and this time, I'll prove the superior power of my high-Level Monsters to your low-Level trash!"

Yudai clenched his jaw tightly at this, immediately reaching back to retrieve his Duel Disk from his Runner. "You want a rematch?! You're on! Wataru, Officer Ikenami, please stand back!"

Ikenami slowly got back to her feet, giving a nod. "Yudai, good luck!"

"Get him good, cousin!" Wataru cheered as he stepped back, Ikenami joining him.

" _ **DUEL!**_ " Yudai and Darren called together, drawing their opening hands.

"My turn! Draw!" Darren roared as he grabbed his sixth card from the top of the deck. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

Yudai blinked in stunned shock at this. He didn't summon a monster. _Did he just have a bad hand...or is that card a Trap? Only one way to be sure..._

"My turn!" Yudai yelled, drawing his sixth card. He looked over the cards in his hand: The Calculator, Negate Attack, Hoshiningen, Marshmallon, Double Summon, and Shining Angel. His eyes then drifted to the one card on the field: The face-down card in Darren's Spell/Trap Zone. Looking this all over, he came to a decision. "I Normal Summon Hoshiningen (500/700)!" A star with a face and feet appeared on Yudai's side of the field, glowing with a golden aura. "As long as this card remains face-up on the field, the ATK of all LIGHT monsters, including this one, is increased by 500 points, and the ATK of all DARK monsters is decreased by 400 points!"

"Meaning its ATK is actually 1000," Aoi observed from the sidelines.

"Yeah, beat him, beat him!" Wataru called, fists pumping in the air.

_His face-down card MUST be a Trap,_ Hikaru considered, grabbing hold of another card in his hand. _If I'm going to spring it, I'll have to do so carefully._

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Double Summon!" Yudai went on, revealing the Spell in his hand. "I can now conduct a second Normal Summon this turn, so I set one monster face-down!" A horizontally-placed card appeared face-down next to Hoshiningen. "Battle! Hoshiningen, attack Darren directly!" Hoshiningen flipped up over the field and kicked Darren straight in the face, causing his Life Points to drop by 1000...all the while Darren looked unfazed and confident.

"When I take battle damage from a card in my opponent's possession, and control no other monsters, I can Special Summon Power Gardna (0/3000) from my hand!" Darren yelled, just as a bulky-looking Fiend-type monster carrying a massive shield with both hands appeared in defense position on the field.

"Shit," Yudai hissed, realizing he'd let Darren trick him into helping him bring out a high-level Monster. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

"My turn!" Darren shouted, drawing a new card. "I Tribute Power Gardna to Tribute Summon Gaap the Divine Soldier (2200/2000)!"

Yudai watched as Power Gardna was released from the field and replaced with a glowing, demonic-looking creature. "Hoshiningen's effect lowers its ATK by 400!"

Darren laughed as Gaap's ATK dropped to 1800. "400 ATK makes little difference! Gaap the Divine Soldier's effect activates: All monsters on the field are switched to face-up attack position!"

"Dammit!" Yudai cursed, watching helplessly as his face-down monster was flipped and put into attack position, revealing none other than his Marshmallon.

"Furthermore, once per turn, I can reveal any number of Fiend-type monsters in my hand, and increase Gaap's ATK by 300 for each until the End Phase of my turn!" Darren continued, revealing Emissary from Pandemonium, Lancer Archfiend, and Power Crusher in his hand and raising Gaap's ATK to 2700 before pointing a finger forward. "Battle! Gaap the Divine Soldier, attack Marshmallon!" Gaap rushed across the field, thrusting its massive claws forward at Marshmallon.

"Trap activate: Negate Attack!" Yudai cried, flipping his face-down card up. "When an opponent's monster declares an attack, I target it, negate its attack, and end the Battle Phase!"

Darren didn't look fazed at all, instead flipping his own face-down card up. "Trap card open: Overpower! When a monster I control is targeted by a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster's effect that negates an attack, I negate the activation of that card and destroy it!"

"What?!" Yudai demanded as his Negate Attack card was wiped from the field, allowing Gaap to continue its attack and slash through Marshmallon. Marshmallon's body reformed from the attack, but Yudai still lost 1900 Life Points. The shock from this attack caused him to fall to one knee, nearly dropping the cards in his hand.

"Y-Yudai!" Wataru cried out, having to be held back by Ikenami. "He's getting whooped out there!"

"If Marshmallon's ATK wasn't enhanced by Hoshiningen, it would've been even worse," Aoi noted. "Yudai needs to turn this around quickly!"

Meanwhile, Yudai found himself clutching his chest in pain, panting as he got back up to both feet. _This feeling_. _It's like what Ikenami said about the damage being real...but how is that even possible?_

Shaking it off, Yudai opted to draw his next card. "My turn! Draw!"

Glancing at his new card, Defense Draw, Yudai looked over the scenario. _The Calculator could easily destroy Gaap now that its attack power is back down, leaving Hoshiningen and Marshmallon to strike Darren directly, but I might need this card as insurance for the next turn..._

"I Normal Summon The Calculator (?/0)!" Yudai declared, slapping the red robot's card onto his disk.

"Hmph, was wondering when THAT would show up," Darren scoffed as The Calculator appeared on the field, its ATK rising to 2600.

"Battle!" Yudai declared. "Calculator, destroy Gaap the Divine Soldier!" At Yudai's command, The Calculator unleashed a massive wave of electricity, blowing Gaap to tiny data bits and costing Darren 800 Life Points. "Hoshiningen, attack Darren directly!" Hoshiningen likewise attacked, giving a flip kick to Darren and sending his Life Points plummeting to 1200...at which point, he started to laugh. "What the-?!"

"You've again allowed me to Special Summon monsters!" Darren announced, slapping a card to his Duel Disk. "When I take damage from a card in my opponent's possession, and control no other cards on the field, I can Special Summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness (2700/2500) from my hand!" A single demonic-looking man with red hair and dark armour appeared on the field before it raised an arm, a second figure emerging next to it. "Furthermore, if the damage inflicted was battle damage, I can Special Summon 1 Emissary of Darkness Token (?/?), and increase its ATK and DEF by the amount of damage I received!" A red-haired woman materialized on the field, taking an offensive stance alongside Gorz. It gained 1000 ATK and DEF from its effect, and gained an additional 500 as it was a LIGHT monster due to Hoshiningen's effect.

"Wait, I never saw that in his hand before!" Wataru pointed out.

"And that was the point," Ikenami explained. "King could've revealed it to increase Gaap's ATK even higher before, but that would've been giving away his strategy."

Yudai grit his teeth hard, knowing full well he'd been played for the second time this duel, but tried his best to keep his cool as he slid his Defense Draw into his Duel Disk. "I set one card face-down, and switch Marshmallon to defense position! Turn end!"

"So, back on the defense, like a good little coward!" Darren observed. "You should be coming at me with every last bit of strength you have! Where's your Dueling spirit?! Where's your pride?!"

Yudai's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm here just to settle a score?! I'm a cop! I protect people! That's why I'm here! And you, you're letting this new power of yours go to your head! It's making you even more violent than before! You seem to be enjoying causing pain and instilling fear!"

"Only the most powerful can be King!" Darren argued. "And any who wish to deny that I am will be crushed under my heel! No one will stand in my way, especially not someone with zero pride as a Duelist!"

Yudai grit his teeth at this, Darren smirking as he went on. "You honestly think I haven't noticed? That you have a new card in your deck, one not born of this world?"

"...W...What?" Yudai asked, shocked. "How-"

"I'm not sure myself," King admitted. "Call it being able to spot our own. Mind you, yours is different. I can't be sure if what you have is a card of darkness or not. At this point, that's not what matters to me. What matters to me is that you have it, a powerful card that could ensure your victory, and you don't use it! I could never forgive something like that!"

"...Yudai, is that true?" Ikenami inquired, causing Yudai to sweatdrop. "You have a card of darkness?"

"I...I don't know," Hikaru admitted. "I..."

"It's my move!" Darren yelled, smiling in almost murderous glee across the field when he saw what was in his hand. "Yudai, this duel is now officially over! I Tribute my Emissary of Darkness Token to Tribute Summon Emissary from Pandemonium (2600/1800)!" The Emissary of Darkness Token disappeared to the Graveyard as she was replaced with a massive quadrupedal Fiend with large, crimson horns. "I can Normal Summon this Level 7 monster with 1 Tribute by making it a Level 5 Monster and halving its ATK and DEF!"

"Oh no!" Aoi exclaimed, realizing where this was going. "And Emissary from Pandemonium is a Tuner Monster, too!"

"A Tuner Monster THAT high-Leveled?!" Wataru asked Ikenami, getting a nod. "What's he going to do with that?!"

"This!" Darren roared, throwing up a hand. "I tune my Level 7 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness with my Level 5 Emissary from Pandemonium!"

_It can't be!_ Yudai thought, watching as the Emissary of Pandemonium's body erupted into 5 glowing rings that flew down around Gorz's body. _A Level 12 Synchro Summon?!_

"Behold, the almighty emperor!" Darren chanted as 7 stars began glowing within Gorz's body in a straight path along the rings. "May the world shake and burn from his wrath! Synchro Summon! Rise from thy throne, Power Emperor (3500/3000)!" A mighty burst of light flew up through the rings, blinding everyone in sight momentarily. As the light faded and their sight returned, they all watched as a massive demon wearing a royal mantle and a crown touched down where Gorz once stood, a dark flame burning in the palm of its hand. Even with its power dropped slightly by Hoshiningen, it still was vastly more powerful than anything on the field.

"That's the card he got!" Ikenami guessed. "Be careful, Yudai! With his card of darkness on the field, the risk to you is even greater now!"

"Power Emperor, destroy The Calculator!" Darren roared, his monster drawing a flaming sword from the fire burning in its hand. The Calculator tried to fend it off with a blast of electricity, but the sword pierced through the waves of voltage with ease.

"Trap card, open: Defense Draw!" Yudai called, revealing his face-down card just as Power Emperor ran through The Calculator, destroying it. "By activating this card during my opponent's attack, I make the battle damage I take from this battle 0, and draw 1 card!" Yudai drew his new card, looking it over.

_Graceful Revival,_ Hikaru thought. _With this Trap card, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Monster from my Graveyard. If I can just stay on the defensive for now, I can call The Calculator back strong enough to defeat Power Emperor._

Darren smirked evilly. "Whatever you're planning, you won't have time to do it! Power Emperor's effect activates: When it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, after damage calculation, I can target 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls, change it to Attack Position, then make a second attack in a row on that monster!"

"What?!" Yudai shouted, watching as Power Emperor lifted a finger toward Marshmallon and forced it into attack position. Darren's Synchro Monster then swung its sword hard, releasing a wave of flames that flew straight through Marshmallon's body and then collided with Yudai, sending him sailing into the side of a building with a scream. He slumped to the ground unconscious as his Life Points hit 0.

" ** _YUDAI!_** " Aoi and Wataru screamed in terror, the latter of whom immediately ran to his older cousin's side.

Darren tilted his head back, laughing to the sky. "With this new card, everyone will bow before me as the new King! No one can stand in the way of my ascension now!"

"You're no King of mine!" Ikenami growled, pointing a finger at Darren. "For assaulting an officer, two children, and causing this havoc, I'm placing you under arrest!"

"Hmph!" Darren scoffed, getting onto his Duel Runner. "If you want to bring me in, you'll have to stop me first!"

Aoi clenched a fist as she heard sirens blaring in the distance, knowing the fire department and ambulances were on the way. "...Wataru, stay with your cousin!"

Wataru nodded hesitantly as Officer Ikenami ran to her Duel Runner and mounted it, starting it up just as Darren peeled out on his Wheel of Fortune replica. Aoi's Runner roared to life as she sped off after King with a force that was as if the devil itself was after him. Meanwhile, all Wataru could do was sit next to Yudai's unmoving body, his eyes starting to well up as the mere sight of his cousin in such a state was almost too much for him to bear.

"...Y-Yudai..." Wataru whimpered, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried and failed to will the tears back.

* * *

Yudai gasped as his eyes opened, taking in the area around himself. It was a lush and beautiful forest, spanning a great distance in every direction, seemingly endless in its size. He could feel a gentle breeze blow by as the trees swayed a bit, cherry blossoms fluttering about.

"Where...am I?" Yudai wondered aloud.

* * *

**This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards**

Power Gardna  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: DARK  
Types: Fiend/Effect  
Level: 6  
ATK/DEF: 0/3000  
Effects: When you take battle damage from a card in your opponent's possession: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You must control no monsters cards to activate and to resolve this effect.

Power Emperor  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: DARK  
Types: Fiend/Synchro/Effect  
Level: 12  
ATK/DEF: 3500/3000  
Materials: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters  
Effects: This card's Synchro Summon cannot be negated. Cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this attacking card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, after damage calculation: You can target 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls; change that target to Attack Position, then this card can make a second attack in a row, on that monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yup, I killed him off in the third chapter. lol NO, not really. He's not dead. Let's just say he's been taken off the field for a chapter or two while Aoi tries her hand at stopping Darren and his new ace Monster. Where he is...well, that'll be explained soon enough, as will the truth of the card I gave him at the end of Chapter 1.
> 
> Anyway, be sure to check back in next time, as Aoi chases Darren down in a Turbo Duel. Ja né!


	4. Aoi's True Power! Clear Mind?!

Darren King laughed triumphantly as he sped through the streets of New Domino City, all who saw him retreating in fear. To him, fear and respect went hand in hand, so from his perspective, he was already well on his way to becoming King of this city. When he first came to New Domino, he had the feeling of becoming a big fish in a small pond. Now, however, he was a whale in a teardrop. This city was his personal kingdom.

"DUEL MODE, ON!" Darren's Runner's screen declared, bringing up a display showing Speed World MAX.

"Hmph, so she's caught up," King muttered, taking a glance back to see Ikenami speeding after him. "Come to avenge the cadet, officer?! I think you'll find that more of a challenge than you think!"

"This isn't revenge," Aoi declared, gripping the handles of her Duel Runner tightly, "it's justice!"

"Come, then!" Darren challenged, speeding up. "Chase after your King if you can! Turbo Duel..."

"ACCELERATION!" Ikenami finished, pouring on the speed as they came around a corner. Darren came out of the turn first, all the while their screens showed a path that the city's central computers planned out for them. Traffic up ahead immediately got out of the way as the two loaded their decks.

" _ **DUEL!**_ " the two called, drawing their opening hands.

* * *

"Ugh, my head," Yudai moaned, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced around at the massive forest spread out around him. "Could this be some sort of hallucination from that attack? Or, it could be...No, I can't be dead! I'm sure my parents would be here waiting for me, then!"

"I can assure you, you aren't dead," a voice declared from behind Yudai, causing him to spin around to face the source of it.

Yudai felt his throat go dry at what he saw. Touching down on the ground were four women, each with different coloured dresses, and with hair and eyes to match their chosen colour. And all four of them had translucent wings and a somewhat angelic look to them. They smiled at Yudai as they approached him.

"...This coming from the group of angels?" Hikaru pointed out.

"We are not angels," the teal-haired and palest one corrected, stepping up close to Yudai. "...Hello. I've been waiting to meet you."

"Wait..." Yudai muttered before realization hit him. "You're...Neo-Fairy Teal!"

The apparent Fairy smiled, nodding. "Yes, I am. We're all Neo-Fairies. I'm the newest member. The others are Neo-Fairy Vermilion, Neo-Fairy Violet, and Neo-Fairy Magenta."

"You're...Duel Monsters?" Hikaru inquired.

"Spirits," the dark-skinned and tallest of the group, Magenta, corrected. "However, yes, we are among the many Duel Spirits who have been made into cards in your game."

"We exist in a world parallel to your own," Vermilion, the shortest and most muscular-looking Neo-Fairy, added. "We're only allowed to directly interact with your world on some really special occasions."

"That is, assuming we don't try to bend any of the rules of existence," Violet, the thickest-bodied of the team, pointed out. "Which we unfortunately had to do to make contact with you."

"Then you're the ones who gave me the card?" Yudai asked. "Why?"

Magenta sighed. "...We need your help."

* * *

"The King goes first! Draw!" Darren yelled, drawing his sixth card and then immediately slapping it to his Duel Disk. "I Normal Summon Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500)!" With that, the holographic form of a Fiend-type monster wearing a cape and wielding a sword appeared, floating alongside the Wheel of Fortune Duel Runner. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

_A clear beat-down monster,_ Aoi considered, looking over the field. _His Duel against Yudai suggests he's not the type to allow defensive playing, so..._

"My turn!" Ikenami shouted, drawing a card and placing one face-down on her disk, all the while she and Darren both received a Speed Counter. "I set one monster face-down!"

Darren scoffed. "Such a weak play will not go unpunished! Trap card, open: Acid Trap Hole! If your face-down monster has 2000 or less DEF, it is destroyed!" Darren's face-down card flipped over before a trap hole filled with acid materialized under Aoi's face-down monster, who was flipped up to reveal a vermarine tortoise. It then fell into the hole, instantly destroyed by the acid.

Despite this play, Aoi smiled. "When Crystron Prasiortle (500/2000) is in my Graveyard, I can banish it to Special Summon 1 'Crystron' Monster from my hand!"

"What?!" Darren demanded as Aoi removed her card from the game.

"I Special Summon Crystron Rion (500/500)!" Ikenami declared, a smoky quartz robot appearing on the field. "I set two cards face-down! Turn end!"

Darren growled at this play. "So, you lured me into using my Acid Trap Hole early! I'll make you pay for that!"

"The only one paying around here will be you, for property destruction and assaulting an officer!" Aoi countered.

"My turn!" Darren roared, drawing his newest card while he and Aoi's Speed Counters increased to 2. "Archfiend Soldier, destroy Crystron Rion!"

"Crystron Rion's effect activates!" Aoi shouted as Archfiend Soldier drew its blade, ready to cut down Rion. "During your opponent's Battle Phase, I can target 1 of my banished non-Tuner monsters and Special Summon it with its effects negated! Return to the field, Crystron Prasiortle!" Crystron Rion held out a hand to its side, opening a portal for Prasiortle to leap through as it was brought back to the field. "Furthermore, immediately after this effect resolves, I must Synchro Summon 1 Machine-Type Synchro Monster using only that monster and this card, and then shuffling both Synchro Material Monsters into my deck!"

_No, this was her play all along!_ Darren realized.

"I tune Level 2 Crystron Prasiortle with Level 3 Crystron Rion!" Ikenami called, Crystron Rion's body glowing bright green before exploding into a trio of green rings for Crystron Prasiortle to leap through. "Brilliant ametrine, shimmer and sparkle with the life-giving might of water! Empower the graceful machine!" Prasiortle growled as twin stars began to glow within its body, a brilliant line of light shooting through it and the rings. "Synchro Summon! Arise, Crystron Ametrix (2500/1500)!" The light faded, revealing Aoi's ace monster standing in attack position.

Darren grit his teeth hard, waving his arm dismissively. "I cancel my Battle Phase, but you'll wish I hadn't! While I control an 'Archfiend' card, once per turn, I can Special Summon Archfiend Commander (2500/1200) from my hand!" Darren slapped a monster card onto his disk, creating the image of a larger, more evil-looking Fiend next to Archfiend Soldier. "However, by doing so, I must destroy one 'Archfiend' card I control, so I destroy Archfiend Soldier!" With that, Archfiend Commander reached down and grabbed Archfiend Soldier so tightly that it exploded into bits of data.

"For you to use that effect, it must mean you plan on using your Normal Summon for this turn on something else!" Aoi guessed.

"Yes, my Gene-Warped Warwolf (2000/100)!" Darren answered, bringing a four-armed Beast-Warrior to the field. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

Aoi looked over the cards in her hand, coming to a realization. _His monsters are too powerful for Ametrix on its own...which means it's time to use my TRUE power..._

* * *

"So, the card you gave me," Yudai pondered aloud, rubbing his chin, "it WASN'T a card of darkness?"

Teal shook her head with a smile. "No. But it wasn't like any ordinary card, either. You haven't noticed it yet, but having that card will grant you abilities. Specifically, it will allow you to tell when an opponent you're facing has a card of darkness. Defeating said opponent will also return their card back to whence it came."

"And where DO they come from?" Yudai inquired. "Who's behind all this?"

"Rogue Spirits," Violet explained, crossing her arms. "They've broken the rules of our universes and sent cards of darkness to those they know would let themselves be consumed with their power."

"We couldn't cross dimensions ourselves, but we COULD send you Teal's card to make contact with you," Vermilion continued. "We needed someone on the inside to help track 'em all down."

"But why me?" Hikaru asked, confused. "I'm just a cadet."

"We don't fully understand it ourselves," Magenta admitted, "but you seem to be attuned in such a way that making contact with you is much easier, like we're doing right now. In addition, we gathered from you that you were the type to do all you could to protect your city from the havoc these cards of darkness would cause. You...have a personal stake in its continued peaceful existence."

Yudai looked downward, fidgeting slightly. Just from the tone of their voices, he could tell exactly what Magenta meant by that, but that they didn't want to just come right out and say it. He didn't blame them. In fact, he felt appreciative to that. However...

"...So, in so many words, you needed someone to handle the work you couldn't do yourselves, and chose the best piece on the board to do it with," Yudai summarized, looking up at the Neo-Fairies as they opted not to answer, even though their silence did for them. "...Alright. How do we get started?"

* * *

Wataru looked on as fire fighters went to work putting out the flames set by Darren's relentless attack and doctors looked over Yudai, Ross, and himself. As they were about to load Yudai and Ross into the back of a pair of ambulances, however, Yudai's Duel Disk started to glow a strange teal light. The emergency response workers immediately backed off, the glowing engulfing Yudai's entire body.

"W-Wh-Wh-What's going on?!" Wataru demanded, sitting up in shock.

To everyone's amazement, Yudai's body actually lifted up off of the ground, hovering in the air for a few moments before touching the ground feet first. As he stood there, the light began to fade, revealing the complete erasure of all his wounds. Finally, the teal shimmer stopped, just as his eyes slowly opened, taking in everything around him.

"...Y-Yudai?!" Wataru asked, astonished. "What happened?!"

"Wataru..." Hikaru muttered before his eyes snapped open wider. "...Ikenami! Where is she?!"

"Sh-She chased after Darren," Wataru answered, causing his older cousin to make for his Duel Runner. "Wait! You can't go after them! You're hurt!"

"I'm fine, Wataru," Yudai replied, putting on his helmet before addressing the workers present. "Contact the New Domino City Police Department! Tell them I'll need a car to bring Darren in once he's defeated!"

Everyone just watched with stunned expressions, but nodded in agreement, leaving Yudai to fire up his engine and take off after Aoi and Darren. _Darren, I'm coming for you! This time, it's MY turn for payback!_

* * *

"My turn!" Ikenami shouted, she and Darren gaining new Speed Counters as she drew her new card. "I play Speed Spell - Angel Baton! While I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I can draw 2 cards, and then send 1 card from my hand to my Graveyard!" Drawing two additional cards, she then discarded the Crystron Thystvern (1500/1500) in her hand. "Next, by banishing Crystron Thystvern from my Graveyard, I can add 1 'Crystron' monster from my deck to my hand!" Removing Thystvern from the game, she then pulled a new 'Crystron' from her deck.

"Adding more monsters to your hand," Darren observed with a sneer. "Are you that afraid?"

"YOU'D be afraid if you knew what I had planned," Aoi replied as she flipped her face-down card in the Spell/Trap Zone face-up. "Trap activate: Crystron Impact! I Special Summon 1 banished 'Crystron' monster and reduce the DEF of all my opponent's face-up monsters to 0! Return, Crystron Thystvern!" With that, Ikenami summoned Thystvern to the field, which roared as it materialized. "Next, I Normal Summon Crystron Quan (500/500)!" A milky-quartz Machine-type monster appeared on the field next to Thystvern, leaping up into the air. "I tune Level 3 Crystron with Level 1 Crystron Quan!"

"Another Syncho?!" Darren inquired, watching as Quan's body erupted into a single glowing ring.

"Quantum Quattro Silica, shimmer and sparkle with the speeding current of water!" Aoi chanted as Thystvern flew through the ring, three shining stars appearing in its body. "Empower the war machine! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Synchro Tuner, Crystron Quandax (1800/2000)!" A burst of light blasted through the ring, consuming it and leaving behind a new Machine-type monster in defense position in its place.

_Synchro...Tuner?_ Darren wondered. _Where have I heard that term used before? Wherever it was, I can't help but feel that leaving that card on the field would be a critical error..._

"Battle!" Aoi shouted, breaking Darren out of his thoughts. "Crystron Ametrix, attack Gene-Warped Warwolf!" At this command, Ametrix leaped into the air, throwing both feet down hard at Darren's monster.

"Trap, activate: Negate Attack!" Darren yelled, revealing his face-down card and creating an invisible barrier around his Beast-Warrior to protect it. "I negate the attack and end the Battle Phase!"

Aoi looked disappointed, but carried on regardless. "Turn end!"

"My turn!" Darren roared, pulling free a new card as his and Aoi's Speed Counters both hit 4. He looked over his hand, contemplating his next move. Before he could make a decision, however, Ikenami's remaining face-down card was activated.

"Trap card, open: Coast Guard!" Aoi announced. "For the rest of this turn, my opponent cannot Special Summon monsters!"

Darren harrumphed, but was undeterred, deciding on his next course of action. "I activate Speed World MAX's effect! By revealing any number of Speed Spell cards in my hand, and reducing my Speed Counters by 4, I inflict 800 damage to my opponent for each card revealed!"

"Damn!" Ikenami cursed, watching as Darren revealed a Speed Spell in his hand. A blast then fired out from his card and smacked her Duel Runner hard, causing her to lose 800 Life Points while she tried desperately to keep control of her vehicle. After a few seconds, she managed to regain control, calming herself, all the while Darren's Duel Runner slowed a considerable amount.

"Battle!" Darren hollered. "Archfiend Commander, destroy Crystron Quandax!" With that, Archfiend Commander raced toward Quandax, arms raised and ready to slam into it.

"I won't allow it!" Aoi yelled, suddenly speeding up her Runner as her monsters raced alongside her. "I see now what is needed to beat you, the power I learned from my teacher: CLEAR MIND!"

Darren's eyes snapped wide open. "Clear Mind?! Could it be...she really possesses this power?!"

"I tune Level 5 Crystron Ametrix with Level 4 Synchro Tuner Crystron Quandax!" Ikenami exclaimed as she continued to speed up, Crystron Quandax's body turning an emerald green before exploding into four glowing green rings for Aoi and Crystron Ametrix to power along through. "Red onyx, shimmer and sparkle with the racing rush of water! Empower the mighty phoenix of rebirth! **ACCEL SYNCHRO!** "

Darren watched on as Ikenami drew a Synchro Monster card from her Extra Deck, slapping it to her disk. Then, to his stunned amazement, both she and Ametrix vanished in a flash, only to reappear a few seconds later behind him, Ametrix replaced with a new, larger, red robot with mighty-looking wings.

"Rise through fire and water, Crystron Phoenix (2800/2000)!" Aoi announced, her robot standing by and ready for battle.

* * *

**This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards**

_No new fan-made cards this chapter!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yup. In case you were wondering, that's a pretty good answer as to who it was that taught Aoi how to Duel as well as she does. She even possesses Clear Mind, thus granting her the ability to Accel Synchro Summon. It's part of what I was talking about before in the notes for Chapter 2, about how Crystron Monsters have different methods of Special Summoning themselves and each other. Hell, the Crystron Tuner Monsters all have the ability to Synchro Summon during the opponent's turn anyway, which actually isn't that far from what Accel Synchro is anyway, just with standard Monsters and not Synchro Monsters.
> 
> So, let's talk Darren's deck for a sec. Obviously, it's a Power Deck, not unlike Jack Atlas'. However, what differs from him and Jack, particularly Jack as we saw him over a length of time, is that Darren has an obvious preference for high-level Monsters with the ability to be brought out to the field without being Tribute Summoned. His lowest-leveled Monsters are Level 4, the highest you can summon without sacrificing anything unless they have a special effect, and are typically beat down Monsters like Gene-Warped Warwolf. He also has a very clear preference for Archfiend Monsters, as well as the Power Monsters Jack uses. And, as an aside, how that isn't an official archetype yet, I have no idea. I guess it's because then we'd have to include every card with Power in their name, like Power Tool Dragon, but then we have Yusei using the Warrior archetype, which can be just as problematic at times. Anyway, now that he has Power Emperor, Darren's also added Tuner Monsters to his deck so he can Synchro Summon it.
> 
> Anyway, check in next time as Aoi continues her Turbo Duel with Darren, all the while Yudai is on the way. Ja né!


	5. All Hail Darren King!

Aoi did her best to keep a level head as the current situation played itself out. She had 3200 Life Points, 4 Speed Counters, and three cards in her hand: Sealing Ceremony of Suiton, Magnet Force, and Speed Spell - Dash Pilfer. Currently, she had two Monsters on the field: Crystron Ametrix (2500/1500) and Crystron Quandax (1800/2000). Meanwhile, Darren had all 4000 of his Life Points intact, as well as his own 4 Speed Counters, two unknown cards in his hand, and his own pair of Monsters: Archfiend Commander (2500/1200) and Gene-Warped Warwolf (2000/100). Neither of them had any face-down cards in their Spell/Trap Zones. Right now, it was Darren's turn, and he was about to attack.

"Battle!" Darren hollered. "Archfiend Commander, destroy Crystron Quandax!" With that, Archfiend Commander raced toward Quandax, arms raised and ready to slam into it.

"I won't allow it!" Aoi yelled, suddenly speeding up her Runner as her monsters raced alongside her. "I see now what is needed to beat you, the power I learned from my teacher: CLEAR MIND!"

Darren's eyes snapped wide open. "Clear Mind?! Could it be...she really possesses this power?!"

"I tune Level 5 Crystron Ametrix with Level 4 Synchro Tuner Crystron Quandax!" Ikenami exclaimed as she continued to speed up, Crystron Quandax's body turning an emerald green before exploding into four glowing green rings for Aoi and Crystron Ametrix to power along through. "Red onyx, shimmer and sparkle with the racing rush of water! Empower the mighty phoenix of rebirth! **ACCEL SYNCHRO!** "

Darren looked on as Ikenami drew a Synchro Monster card from her Extra Deck, slapping it to her disk. Then, to his stunned amazement, both she and Ametrix vanished in a flash, only to appear a few seconds later behind him, Ametrix replaced with a new, larger, red robot with mighty-looking wings.

"Rise through fire and water, Crystron Phoenix (2800/2000)!" Aoi announced, her robot standing by and ready for battle.

"Accel Synchro...!" Darren whispered before realization hit him like a freight train. "Don't tell me...your teacher was the King's greatest rival, Yusei Fudo?!"

"Rival and friend!" Aoi corrected. "And I know for a fact that the REAL Turbo Duel King would loathe what you've been doing in his name, using cards of darkness to get your own way! I will take you down!"

Darren grit his teeth angrily at first, but soon found himself chuckling lowly. "So, the future inheritor of the title of King must first overcome the student of Yusei Fudo. Very well, then! Bring it on, Ikenami!"

Aoi nodded, her eyes burning with determination. "Crystron Phoenix's effect: If this card is Synchro Summoned, I can banish all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls and in their Graveyard! I banish Acid Trap Hole and Negate Attack from the game!"

Darren scowled, removing those two Traps from his Graveyard. "Because Crystron Phoenix was summoned, it caused a reset in the battle! Therefore, I end my Battle Phase, and set two cards face-down! Turn end!"

"My turn!" Aoi called, drawing her newest card as she reached 5 Speed Counters in total, Darren only having 1 after his use of Speed World MAX's effect on his turn. "Crystron Phoenix, destroy Archfiend Commander!" Crystron Phoenix spread its mechanical wings as wide as it could, releasing twin bursts of water and fire at Archfiend Commander. The blasts utterly annihilated it as King lost 300 Life Points, the first hit he'd taken all Duel.

_That was good, but even Crystron Phoenix isn't strong enough to destroy Power Emperor if it arrives,_ Ikenami considered before looking at the Trap card she'd just drawn at the beginning of her turn. _Torrential Tribute. When Power Emperor is summoned, I can use this card to destroy it. Then, with Phoenix's effect, I can Special Summon Ametrix back to the field and attack him directly on my turn._

"Then I set a card face-down!" Aoi declared, setting her Trap. "Turn end!"

"My turn!" Darren roared, pulling a new card free from his deck as he and Aoi each received a new Speed Counter. He took one look at his new card and grinned diabolically. "Sorry, but it seems I either live up far too much to my future role as King, or you pale in comparison to Yusei Fudo! I'm ending this Duel here!"

"Try, if you think you can!" Ikenami dared.

"I Tribute Gene-Warped Warwolf to Tribute Summon Power Synchron (2000/1300)!" Darren exclaimed, releasing his Beast-Warrior for a dark Fiend-type with long hair and its chest and shoulders made up of engine parts. "Power Synchron's effect: If this card is sent to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a DARK monster, its ATK is increased by 1500 until the End Phase!"

_Not yet,_ Aoi thought, a finger hovering over the button to play her Trap.

"Trap card, open: Synchro Call!" Darren yelled, revealing one of his two face-down cards. "I Special Summon 1 monster in my Graveyard, but it has its effects negated. Be revived, Archfiend Commander!" As soon as Darren finished explaining that, Archfiend Commander returned from a dark portal to the field of battle. "Furthermore, immediately after this effect resolves, I must Synchro Summon 1 DARK Dragon-Type or DARK Fiend-Type Synchro Monster, using Materials including the revived monster!"

_Here it comes!_ Ikenami realized.

"I tune Level 6 Archfiend Commander with Level 6 Power Synchron!" King exclaimed as Power Synchron's engine revved up, its body imploding into 6 glowing rings for Archfiend Commander to leap through. "Behold, the almighty emperor! May the world shake and burn from his wrath!" Archfiend Commander's body began to fade as it passed through the rings, leaving 6 glowing stars behind in a straight path along the rings. "Synchro Summon! Rise from thy throne, Power Emperor (3500/3000)!" A large beam of light flew up through the rings, overtaking them completely before leaving behind Darren's massive Fiend-type with a large flaming sword. It let out a mighty cry as its power instantly increased to 5000 due to Power Synchron's effect.

"Now!" Aoi shouted, hitting the button on her disk. "Trap activate: Torrential Tribute! When a monster is Summoned to the field, Torrential Tribute destroys all monsters on the field!" Immediately, a massive flood shot out from the image of her Trap card, washing over Crystron Phoenix and Power Emperor. "Your card of darkness is obliterated!"

Despite this, Darren smirked ominously. "...Is it?"

Aoi's eyes widened in shock as the water went back down, revealing Power Emperor still on the field. "WHAT?!"

"Power Emperor's Synchro Summon cannot be negated, nor can it be destroyed by card effects," Darren explained. "The only way to destroy it is to overpower it, and nothing, not even your Accel Synchro Monster, could have accomplished that!"

Ikenami looked back to her disk, dread overwhelming her, but quickly drew a card from her Graveyard. "When Crystron Phoenix is Synchro Summoned and then destroyed by battle or card effect, I can target 1 other monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it. Revive, Crystron Ametrix!" Slapping the card to disk horizontally, Aoi revived Ametrix to the field in defense position.

_If I can just keep my Life Points protected for now, I might be able to come up with a counter measure,_ Aoi thought desperately.

"Your defenses are pitiful!" Darren proclaimed, holding up a Spell card. "I activate Speed Spell - Defense Buster! When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I can change 1 monster to attack position!"

As a burst of energy shot out from the Speed Spell, Aoi quickly grabbed a card from her Graveyard. "By banishing Crystron Impact from my Graveyard, I can negate the effect of a card targeting a 'Crystron' monster I control!" Ikenami let out a sigh of relief as a barrier field surrounded Ametrix, protecting it from Defense Buster's effect.

"Heh, a wasted effort!" King yelled. "Battle! Power Emperor, annihilate Crystron Ametrix!" With that order, Power Emperor lifted its sword high and then drove it straight down through Crystron Ametrix's body, shattering it into tiny pieces.

"However, Power Emperor can only attack again if I have another monster in defense position," Aoi pointed out, "meaning my Life Points are safe!"

"Are they?!" Darren called, flipping his remaining face-down card up. "Trap card, open: Synchro Overlimit! When a Synchro Monster I control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, it can attack once more, but will be destroyed after damage calculation!"

Except Power Emperor can't be destroyed by card effects! Ikenami realized all too late. He had this planned all along!

"Power Emperor, direct attack!" King ordered with a cruel smile, watching as his monster unleashed a wave of flames from its sword directly at Ikenami. With no other option, Aoi shut her eyes and hit a switch under her Duel Disk, causing it and her seat to eject from the Duel Runner just before the blast hit it, utterly destroying it along with her Life Points. Before she fell back down to the road, a parachute shot out from the back of her seat, causing her to descend slowly.

_Yusei...I'm sorry,_ Aoi thought, clenching her fists. _I...I couldn't stop him!_

King tilted his head back and laughed riotously, throwing a finger straight up into the air. "None can overcome the new King: Darren King! All shall bow before my might!"

"We'll see!" a familiar voice yelled. Glancing back at the wreckage of Aoi's Duel Runner, Darren watched as a second Runner actually jumped over it and sped toward him. His eyes widened as he managed to spot the driver.

"Yudai Hikaru...!" Darren growled as his opponent sped up. "So, you couldn't defeat me before, so you're going to try and use Battle Royal Mode to pick up where your superior left off?!"

"Wrong!" Yudai declared. "I'm not here just to arrest you! I'm not even here just for Officer Ikenami! I'm here...because I have a score to settle with you!"

King's eyes narrowed. "...'A score', you say?"

Hikaru clutched the handles of his Duel Runner tighter. "You were right. I was holding something back before, but not anymore! I know what I have at my disposal, I know who and what I am, and I know what I have to do, and if I let what happened before slide, how I allowed myself to be defeated so easily without any rebuttal, I couldn't live with myself!"

_Yudai!_ Aoi thought as she finally dropped back down to the road, watching as the cadet sped off. _...So, you finally found it?_

Darren looked indignant at first, but quickly found himself laughing. "So, you ARE a Duelist, after all! Chase after me, then! As King, I will take on all comers!"

Yudai nodded as Darren's holograms faded long enough for him to reshuffle his deck and recover his Life Points, his Speed Counters resetting to 0. "If you really believe you're the King already, then let's see how you fare against me!"

" _ **DUEL!**_ " the two shouted, drawing their opening hands.

"The King shall go first!" Darren insisted, drawing a new card. "I Normal Summon Gene-Warped Warwolf!" Darren slapped his Beast-Warrior's card on the disk, causing it to appear. "Then I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

"My turn!" Yudai called, drawing the sixth card for his hand as he and King each gained a Speed Counter. "If my opponent controls a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Kazewata (200/300) from my hand!" Hikaru quickly placed a card on his disk, creating the image of a light-green Watapon with golden eyes and transparent wings on the field in defense position. "Next, I Normal Summon Clumsy Angel (2100/100)!" Yudai's Clumsy Angel appeared next on the field, but quickly exploded into digital bits after tripping and falling on the road. "When Clumsy Angel is Normal Summoned, it's immediately destroyed! Then I place two cards face-down! Turn end!"

_Clumsy Angel is a Tuner,_ Yudai considered. _If I can resurrect it on my next turn and tune it to Kazewata...No. Not yet. I need to wait this out so I can make full use of Teal's power. Only then can I destroy Power Emperor, and my heart tells me that's what this Duel will ultimately come down to: A battle between those two._

"My turn!" Darren roared, ripping a card from the top of his deck as he and Yudai's Speed Counters each reached 2 in total. "I Normal Summon Lancer Archfiend (1600/1400)!" Darren's twin lance-wielding Archfiend took its place on the field next to Gene-Warped Warwolf. "You only have a single monster to defend yourself with, meaning you have nothing to protect your Life Points with once it's gone! Battle! Gene-Warped Warwolf, destroy Kazewata!"

With that, Darren's Beast-Warrior lunged at Kazewata, looking to tear it apart, when suddenly, Yudai flipped one of his two face-down cards up, causing Kazewata to vanish. "Trap activate: Fairrier! By Tributing 1 Fairy-type monster, I won't take any damage until the End Phase of this turn!"

King scowled, clenching his fist tightly. "Turn end!"

"My turn!" Yudai shouted, adding another new card to his hand as the two of them now had 3 Speed Counters each. "I play Speed Spell - Angel Baton to draw 2 cards and discard 1!"

"Looking for more monsters to stall with?" Darren accused, just in time to watch as Yudai discarded, of all cards, his Marshmallon. "...W-What?! Why?!"

"With Lancer Archfiend on the field, Gene-Warped Warwolf will be able to inflict piercing damage," Yudai calmly explained. "I can't count on Marshmallon's effect in this case. However, he CAN serve one other function. I Normal Summon Fairy Ferry (100/1800)!" Yudai placed a Monster card on the field, creating the image of a cartoonish-looking ferry with eyes painted onto the front of its smokestack. "When this card is Normal Summoned, I can target 1 Level 3 or lower Fairy-type monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon that target in Defense Position! Return, Marshmallon!" With that, Fairy Ferry dropped a life preserver onto the field, causing Marshmallon to pop up inside it in defense position. "However, the Special Summoned Fairy loses its effects when brought back!"

"Then why go to the trouble-" Darren started to ask.

"Of bringing it back?" Yudai finished with a smile. "To evolve it into something greater. I Tribute Marshmallon to Tribute Summon Marshmallon Gardna (0/2600)!" To King's confusion, Marshmallon once again was sent to the Graveyard. In its place was a new Marshmallon, orange-tinted compared to the original pink one, and with a massive blue and gold shield mounted to its front.

_A Level 5 monster, but with 0 ATK, and in attack position?_ Darren wondered. _What is he up to?_

"Trap activate: Call of the Haunted!" Yudai continued on, flipping his remaining face-down card up. "Return to the field, Clumsy Angel!" At this call, Clumsy Angel returned to the field in attack position. "Battle! Clumsy Angel, attack Gene-Warped Warwolf!" Clumsy Angel spread its wings and soared upward before stomping down hard on Darren's Beast-Warrior, obliterating it and costing him 100 Life Points.

"Trap card, open: Time Machine!" Darren yelled, flipping his own Trap up to create the image of a time machine. "When a monster on the field is destroyed, I can Special Summon it back to its original placement! Return, Gene-Warped Warwolf!" The door to the time machine opened, Gene-Warped Warwolf leaping out to resume its old position as the machine vanished.

"Turn end!" Yudai declared.

"My turn!" King exclaimed, drawing his next card while he and Yudai both reached 4 Speed Counters each before throwing a hand out toward Yudai. "Battle! Gene-Warped Warwolf, destroy Yudai's Fairy Ferry!" Gene-Warped Warwolf let loose a howl as it dashed toward Yudai's ferry.

"Marshmallon Gardna's effect!" Yudai shouted. "Once per turn, by switching its battle position while an opponent's monster attacks a different monster, it makes itself the target instead!"

"What?!" Darren demanded, watching as Marshmallon Gardna leaped in front of Fairy Ferry and assumed defense position, easily taking the hit from Gene-Warped Warwolf with its shield and causing Darren's Life Points to drop to 3300. "Lancer Archfiend, attack Fairy Ferry!" Lancer Archfiend leaped up into the air, lances at the ready. This time, Yudai could do nothing to protect his ferry as it was skewered and destroyed, reducing his Life Points to 2500 and costing him a Speed Counter.

"Gah!" Yudai cried as his Duel Runner shook from the shockwave. "Have to...keep control!"

King laughed as Yudai regained control of his Runner. "You're too weak to stop me! I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

"We'll see...My turn!" Yudai called, drawing a new card as he and Darren each gained a new Speed Counter. Looking at the card, an idea formed in his head, causing him to glance at Marshmallon Gardna. However, that would have to wait. "Battle! Clumsy Angel, attack Lancer Archfiend!" Once again, Clumsy Angel flew upward, looking to stomp down on the opposition.

"Trap activate: Negate Attack!" Darren yelled, his face-down card activating and creating an energy field around himself and his monsters that protected them from attack. "I negate your attack and end the Battle Phase!"

_...So, he protected those two again,_ Yudai thought. _That must mean he's planning to Summon a Level 4 Tuner on his next turn and use them to bring forth Power Emperor. If I'm right, then I need to prepare for it right away..._

Looking back at the card he'd drawn, Hikaru considered his moves. Seeing no other option, he slid it into his Spell/Trap Zone. "I set one card face-down! Finally, I switch Marshmallon Gardna to attack position! Turn end!"

Darren smirked, drawing a new card while he and Yudai each gained another Speed Counter, putting them at 6 and 5 respectively. "My turn! This monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, but must be Special Summoned by sending 1 face-up Trap my opponent controls to the Graveyard! Come, Trap Eater (1900/1600)!" Immediately, a fish-like Fiend leaped up from underneath Yudai's Call of the Haunted, consuming it and causing Clumsy Angel to be destroyed with a horrified shriek before it assumed its place at Darren's side.

"Clumsy Angel!" Yudai cried helplessly, his Tuner gone from the field.

"I tune Level 4 Gene-Warped Warwolf and Level 4 Lancer Archfiend with Level 4 Trap Eater!" King exclaimed as Trap Eater's body transformed into 4 green rings for Darren's remaining monsters to pass through. "Behold, the almighty emperor! May the world shake and burn from his wrath!" Lancer Archfiend and Gene-Warped Warwolf's bodies faded from view, leaving 8 stars in a straight line within the rings. "Synchro Summon! Rise from thy throne, Power Emperor!" A burst of light shot through the rings, leaving Power Emperor in their wake.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed as he looked upon Darren's card of darkness in all its terrifying glory. "Power Emperor. Last time, you nearly put me in the hospital. I won't lose like that again."

"With only one monster on the field in attack position with 0 ATK, I don't see how you can avoid that!" Darren replied with an evil grin. "Power Emperor, destroy Marshmallon Gardna!" Power Emperor raised its blade over its head with both hands, flames encircling it violently, before slicing it straight down at Marshmallon Gardna, who could only wait with the seemingly increasingly small shield for defense...

* * *

**This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards**

Kazewata  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: WIND  
Types: Fairy/Effect  
Level: 1  
ATK/DEF: 200/300  
Effects: If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can only Special Summon "Kazewata" once per Duel this way.

Fairrier  
Card type: Trap  
Property: Normal  
Effects: Tribute 1 Fairy-type Monster you control. You do not take any damage until the End Phase of this turn.

Fairy Ferry  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: WATER  
Types: Fairy/Effect  
Level: 3  
ATK/DEF: 100/1800  
Effects: When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 Level 3 or lower Fairy-type monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in Defense Position, but its effects are negated.

Marshmallon Gardna  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: LIGHT  
Types: Fairy/Effect  
Level: 5  
ATK/DEF: 0/2600  
Effects: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by Tributing 1 "Marshmallon" you control. When an opponent's monster declares an attack on a monster you control other than this one: You can change this card's battle position, then change the attack target to it. You can only use this effect of "Marshmallon Gardna" once per turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, it's a ferry for fairies, get it? :P Nevermind. Let's talk instead about Kazewata and Marshmallon Gardna. So, to be blunt, two of my favourite Monsters of Yugi's deck are Watapon and Marshmallon. However, I always wanted to make more support cards for them, make them an archetype. So, I did, and made them part of Yudai's deck. The reason I waited until now to show them off is to demonstrate that Yudai's been kinda holding himself back, and now that he's not, he's free to unleash the full potential of his deck and the cards within it. Plus, deck advancement as the story goes on. I may not be advertising toys/cards with mine (at least none that don't already exist), but I feel I should carry out at least some traditions.
> 
> So, you've PROBABLY noticed by now that there's more than a few similarities between the characters and my fic and the cast of 5D's, and I don't just mean Darren's fanboy-ism of Jack and Aoi being trained by Yusei. I'm talking specific character traits and deck strategies. Rest assured, though, this ALL has a point that I'll be getting to, Darren's in particular. This is neither a coincidence nor lazy writing (not to say I can't ever be lazy, just that THIS isn't a case of that, lol).
> 
> Anyway, check in next time as the rematch with Darren concludes with a battle between their new ace cards. Ja né!


	6. The New Fairy Guardian! Neo-Fairy Teal!

Yudai watched helplessly as Darren tuned his Monsters together, forming his ultimate Synchro Monster, Power Emperor (3500/3000). With a mere 2500 Life Points, and his only Monster on the field being his Marshmallon Gardna (0/2600), which was currently in Attack Position, his only hope of surviving this turn was with his single face-down card in the Spell/Trap Zone. All he could hope was that none of the four cards in King's hand could stop what he had planned, since he only had one card in his own, and it wasn't going to be of any help in this scenario.

"Power Emperor, destroy Marshmallon Gardna!" Darren ordered. Power Emperor raised its blade over its head with both hands, flames encircling it violently, before slicing it straight down at Marshmallon Gardna, who could only wait with the seemingly increasingly small shield for defense.

"Trap activate: S'Mine Field!" Yudai shouted, flipping his face-down card up and causing Marshmallon Gardna to disappear, stopping Power Emperor's attack as three small Marshmallons with cartoonish-looking fuses on their heads took Marshmallon Gardna's place in Attack Position.

"W...What the hell are those?!" Darren demanded indignantly.

Yudai grinned confidently. "By Tributing a 'Marshmallon' monster I control, I can Special Summon 3 S'Mine Tokens (0/0) in Attack Position to replace it!"

"Your weak Tokens are pathetic, and will not stop Power Emperor's assault!" Darren insisted, pointing at one of the S'Mine Tokens. "Power Emperor, attack the left-most S'Mine Token!" Power Emperor let out a battle cry as it drove its sword at its target. However, before it could lay a hit, the fuse on the S'Mine Token lit and immediately burned out, causing it to explode with such force that it forced Power Emperor back. "What was THAT?!"

"When a S'Mine Token is attacked by an opponent's monster, it self-destructs, inflicting 500 damage to your Life Points!" Yudai explained as, sure enough, Darren's Life Points fell to 3400. "Furthermore, because you didn't destroy it yourself, AND the other S'Mine Tokens are already in Attack Position, Power Emperor's effect can't activate, meaning it can't make its second attack!"

King's jaw locked hard as he realized Hikaru was right. In addition, a glance down at his hand revealed he had no other monsters to Summon, just Speed Spells and Traps. Observing the situation, he glared back at his opponent with near-murderous intent.

_Fine then,_ Darren concluded. _He wants to play this game, then I'll wait until I've gathered enough Speed Counters and Speed Spells to ensure he takes the most vicious assault of his life!_

"Turn end!" Darren growled angrily, incensed that he was being blocked off like this.

"My turn!" Yudai exclaimed, drawing a new card from his deck as he reached 6 Speed Counters, King having 7. Seeing nothing in his hand that would be the most help right now, he instead declared "Turn end!", passing his turn to Darren.

"Then it's my turn!" Darren roared, pulling free the top card of his deck while he and Hikaru each gained a Speed Counter. "Power Emperor, attack the S'Mine Token on the right!" Power Emperor quickly obliged, brandishing its sword, only for the S'Mine Token to detonate, taking another 500 out of Darren's Life Points. "Turn end!"

"My turn!" Yudai shouted, retrieving another new card while his and Darren's Speed Counters each increased once again by 1. He added it to his hand, looking over his cards before coming to a decision. "I activate Speed World MAX's effect: By removing 7 Speed Counters, I can draw 1 card!" As such, Hikaru quickly drew yet another card from his deck, all the while his Duel Runner slowed due to the loss of all but 1 of his Speed Counters. "I set one monster face-down, and one face-down card in my Spell/Trap Zone! Turn end!"

"My turn!" Darren shouted, drawing a new card. He smiled evilly as he eyed it, his and Yudai's Speed Counters increasing again. "Finally! I Normal Summon Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500)!" A Fiend-type monster wearing a cape and holding a deadly-looking sword appeared at Power Emperor's side. "Now, the last of your defenses will fall! Archfiend Soldier, attack the last S'Mine Token!" Archfiend Soldier quickly stabbed its sword toward the Token, only for it to be forced back when the S'Mine Token self-destructed, lowering Darren's Life Points to 2400. "Power Emperor, destroy Yudai's face-down monster!"

Despite Power Emperor's brutal slaying of the face-down monster, revealed to be a pink gooey creature, Yudai smirked. "Marshmacaron's (200/200) effect: Once per turn, if a Marshmacaron is destroyed, I can Special Summon up to 2 other Marshmacarons from my hand, deck, or Graveyard! Come, Marshmacarons!" Instantly, two more Marshamacarons appeared, Special Summoned from Yudai's deck in Attack Position. "And because they're both in Attack Position, Power Emperor cannot attack again!"

"So clever...yet so utterly foolish, **to infuriate your King!** " Darren screamed, holding up a Speed Spell. "I play Speed Spell - End of the Storm! While I have 10 Speed Counters, I can destroy every last monster on the field, inflicting 300 damage to each player for each of their destroyed monsters!"

"What?!" Yudai shouted, just as a storm of black winds shot out from King's card, obliterating every monster on the field except for Power Emperor, who survived due to its own effect. Yudai screamed out in pain as the wind ripped past him as well, costing him 600 Life Points, while Darren let out a painful groan as he lost 300. Yudai's Duel Runner shook hard, almost flying off the road and into a wall, but Yudai managed to get control of it just at the last moment, turning back onto the road.

"You should've let yourself crash, you fool!" Darren claimed. "It would've been faster that way!"

"W...When I take damage from a card effect, I can Special Summon Hiwata (200/300) from my hand...!" Yudai groaned, bringing out a red Watapon with fiercer looking eyes in Attack Position. "Furthermore, when Summoned this way, Hiwata gains a Hi Counter for every 100 damage I took!" Hiwata let out a tiny chirp as a series of tiny embers appeared around its head before ending at 6. "Trap card, open: Very Fairy Draw! When Fairy monsters on my side of the field are destroyed by my opponent's card effect, I can draw 1 card for every Level the combined Fairies had!" Reaching to his deck, Yudai drew two additional cards, disappointed he didn't draw a Watapon to Special Summon.

"Draw all the cards you want, they won't save you from the wrath of the emperor!" King insisted. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"

_I could have annihilated him there, but watching him try in vain to stop me is too much to deny myself,_ Darren rationalized, knowing that, with three Speed Spells, he could have removed 4 Speed Counters to inflict 2400 damage. _On my next turn, I'll have 12 Speed Counters. More than enough to ensure he loses EVERYTHING._

"My turn!" Yudai cried, drawing a new card as he and Darren each gained a new Speed Counter. He looked at the card: It was a Trap card, not the Tuner Monster he was hoping for.

_Without a Tuner Monster, I can't bring out Teal!_ Yudai thought, starting to feel beaten already. _I...I can't do this!_

"Don't give up!" a voice called from his Extra Deck, causing Yudai's eyes to widen. "You have everything you need in your hand right now!"

Yudai was confused, but looked again at the Trap he pulled: Iron Resolve. _...Right. As long as I don't give up, there's still a chance. I just have to believe, like Officer Ikenami always said. 'Believe in your cards'..._

"I Normal Summon Shining Angel (1400/800)!" Yudai declared, bringing out his angel to the field. "Then I switch Hiwata to Defense Position, and set three cards face-down! Turn end!"

_He played his entire hand!_ Darren observed. _AND he put Hiwata in Defense Position, even though he knows it'll allow Power Emperor to attack it! Is he giving up?_

Looking back, King saw the look in Yudai's eyes as they brimmed with confidence. _No...No, he hasn't. He wants to win!_

"My turn!" Darren roared, drawing another card for his hand while his Speed Counters reached 12, the maximum amount allowed, while Yudai only had 4. Darren looked at his card. It was another Speed Spell, giving him three in total.

_I could win the Duel right here and now with this many Speed Counters!_ Darren realized. _But...I..._

"Come on, o 'King'!" Yudai taunted, snapping Darren out of his thoughts. "Surely you aren't afraid your monster can't destroy my low-Level Fairies, or do you both sit on a throne of lies?!"

Darren's eye twitched in rage as he made his decision. "I play Speed Spell - Power Baton! When I have 6 or more Speed Counters, I can send a monster from my deck to my Graveyard, increasing Power Emperor's ATK by the sent monster's, until the end of the next Damage Step, at the cost of my next Draw Phase! I send Power Crusher from my deck to the Graveyard!" The holographic image of Power Crusher falling into an open grave appeared on the field before said open grave unleashed a wave of energy at Power Emperor, sending its ATK rocketing up to 5600. "Power Emperor, destroy Shining Angel!"

"Trap card, open: Defense Draw!" Yudai declared as Power Emperor sliced at Shining Angel, an energy field surrounding him as his monster was slain. "During my opponent's turn, at damage calculation, I can make the battle damage you take from this battle 0, and then draw 1 card!" Yudai quickly drew a new card, his Life Points untouched by Power Emperor's attack, and stared in shock at what he held.

_It's here!_ Yudai thought before reaching back to his deck.

"In addition, when Shining Angel is destroyed, I can Special Summon 1 LIGHT monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck in Attack Position!" Yudai went on. "I choose Little Fairy (800/800)!" A redheaded Fairy appeared on the field, taking Shining Angel's place.

"Power Emperor's effect!" Darren shouted, watching as Power Emperor's ATK returned to normal. "When it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, after damage calculation, I can target 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls, change it to Attack Position, then make a second attack in a row on that monster!" Instantly, Power Emperor waved a finger, forcing Hiwata into Attack Position, before slicing its sword hard enough to send a wave of flames at it. "This Duel is over!"

"Trap activate: Iron Resolve!" Yudai called, flipping another face-down card up. "By paying half my Life Points, I reduce all Battle Damage to 0, and then end the Battle Phase!" Hikaru watched as the flames from Power Emperor's sword burst through Hiwata, destroying it, but left him undamaged as his Life Points dropped to 950. "Furthermore, when Hiwata is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, it inflicts 100 damage to my opponent for each Hi Counter it had!" The Hi Counters flew across the field from where Hiwata once was, pelting Darren hard and causing him to nearly lose control of his Runner as his Life Points dropped by 600.

Darren grit his teeth hard enough to taste blood. "You survived Power Emperor's assault, but you won't be able to gloat! I activate Speed World MAX's effect: By reducing my Speed Counters by 4, I can inflict 800 points of damage for each card revealed! I have 2 Speed Spells, and 12 Speed Counters, meaning I can easily annihilate you!"

"That's a potential total of 4800!" Yudai shouted in shock.

"TAKE THIS!" Darren roared, his Speed Counters being reduced by 4 as he revealed two Speed Spells. A pair of energy blasts shot out from his Duel Runner, racing toward Yudai's. However, to his shock, Yudai instead revealed a card of his own: Hanewata (200/300). " ** _WHAT?!_** "

"By discarding Hanewata, I reduce all effect damage this turn to 0!" Yudai yelled, discarding Hanewata to create the image of it taking the blasts for Yudai, the collision nonetheless shaking his Duel Runner hard and cracking the road beneath him.

"...How?!" King demanded. "When did...NO!"

" _Trap card, open: Defense Draw!_ " Yudai's voice echoed in Darren's head as he recalled him activating said card. " _During my opponent's turn, at damage calculation, I can make the battle damage you take from this battle 0, and then draw 1 card!_ "

"You actually drew Hanewata?!" Darren cried, feeling as if reality itself was crashing down around him. "HOW?!"

"I did what I've always been taught to do: Trust in my cards," Yudai explained simply.

Darren looked ready to break the handles of his Duel Runner at this development, knowing he had nothing left in his hand to ensure victory on this turn. "...Turn...end! You may have survived this turn, but on my next turn, I'll be able to bring your Life Points to 0!"

Yudai simply stared back at his opponent. "Sorry, but you aren't getting another turn. I'm ending this NOW."

With that, Yudai placed a finger on his deck, closing his eyes. _Cards, respond to my wishes..._

"My...TURN!" Yudai shouted, drawing a new card as his and Darren's Speed Counters increased. Looking at the card, he saw one thing: Victory. "Trap card, open: Graceful Revival! I target 1 Level 2 or lower Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it in Attack Position! Return, Hanewata!" Hanewata instantly appeared on the field next to Little Fairy as Yudai played his last face-down card. "I tune Level 3 Little Fairy with Level 1 Hanewata!"

"You're WHAT?!" Darren demanded, watching as Hanewata became a glowing green ring, Little Fairy flying through it.

"Teal light, pour out from lightspeed and take form! Bring forth the new fairy guardian!" Yudai chanted, all the while Little Fairy's body faded away, leaving only a trio of stars. "Synchro Summon! Take form, Neo-Fairy Teal (2000/1000)!" A brilliant beam of light shot through the rings, leaving behind a tall, teal-haired fairy in a teal dress wielding a strong-looking rapier.

"So, you managed a Synchro Summon, but even your new monster can't hope to stand up to mine!" Darren taunted as his monster stood up to Yudai's.

"Neo-Fairy Teal's effect!" Yudai went on as his Synchro Monster started to gather power in her rapier. "For every Fairy-type Monster in my Graveyard, its ATK is increased by 200!" As Yudai explained this, the transparent images of Hanewata, Little Fairy, Hiwata, Shining Angel, all three Marshmacarons, Marshmallon Gardna, Clumsy Angel, Marshmallon, and Kazewata appeared around Teal, causing her ATK to increase by an astonishing 2200. "Next, I activate Speed Spell - Lightspeed! While I have 5 or more Speed Counters, I can increase the ATK of 1 LIGHT Monster I control by 1000 during the Battle Phase of this turn!" Teal let out a mighty cry as her power increased even more, her rapier surrounded by a golden glow.

" _ **5200 ATK?!**_ " Darren shouted in disbelief.

"Darren!" Yudai yelled. "You talk about your name, how it makes you destined to be King! From now on, remember MY name: **YUDAI HIKARU** (Great Hero of Light)! Neo-Fairy Teal, destroy Power Emperor!" Neo-Fairy Teal immediately flew at Power Emperor, avoiding its massive sword, before driving her rapier into its skull, causing its body to crack with teal light before breaking apart in a massive explosion, the shock of which shook Wheel of Fortune hard as Darren's Life Points plummeted to 0.

_This...can't be!_ Darren thought as the explosion drew closer to him, coming up against his Duel Runner and causing it to catch fire. _I'm...KING!_

With that thought, he shut his eyes and did nothing as the explosion finally consumed his Runner, utterly destroying it...just after Yudai sped up and caught him before he could be taken as well. His eyes shot wide open in shock as he realized this, watching as Yudai eventually came to a stop a safe distance away from the burning wreckage of Darren's Wheel of Fortune. Yudai released Darren from his grip, letting him stand next to him and his Duel Runner.

"...Why?" Darren asked, his voice shaking. "Why save me?"

"Killing you wasn't in my game plan," Yudai explained calmly. "Darren, do you really think defeating your enemies in such a manner would be befitting the Turbo Duel King? Is that how you see Jack?"

Darren went to respond, but soon found himself looking down at his clothes. In every way, they were a copy of Jack's, as was the Wheel of Fortune he obtained. In many ways, he guessed, he was also a copy of Jack Atlas. Except, as he thought about it, he realized that Yudai was right: That wasn't the type of behaviour befitting the King, Jack Atlas. He wasn't a killer, not like he almost allowed himself to become in his rage and need for the crown.

"I...I didn't...want this..." Darren admitted, falling to his hands and knees as tears started to form in his eyes. Soon, his clothes started to dissolve, leaving him in his old black jacket, and Power Emperor's card likewise began to fade away from his Duel Disk, which likewise changed into his old model. The burning wreck that was his Duel Runner also seemed to dissolve, leaving little to feed the flames as they died down. He stayed on the ground even as he heard the sound of sirens approaching, a squad car pulling up and letting Aoi and Wataru out.

"Darren, if you want a chance to start over, now's the time to take it," Yudai said. "Redeeming oneself isn't as hard as people think. You just have to try."

Regaining his composure, Darren nodded, getting back to his feet as Ikenami approached. Without exchanging a word, Darren simply raised his arms together, allowing her to place handcuffs on him. With that done, two more officers walked over and escorted him into the back of a car. With that done, Yudai let out a hard sigh, letting himself lean back against his Runner.

"Are you okay?!" Wataru asked. "You really scared me, Yudai!"

Yudai nodded, chuckling a little. "Yeah...I think I scared me, too."

"Couldn't help but rush ahead," Aoi commented with a smirk. "As usual. Right, Cadet?"

Yudai smirked back. Before he could come up with a witty remark, though, the trio found themselves looking in the direction of another Duel Runner speeding toward them. The red Duel Runner quickly came to a halt nearby. Its driver, a man in his thirties with a blue jacket and black jeans, dismounted it and removed his helmet, revealing black and gold hair. He smiled at the trio as he walked over.

"Aoi," he greeted. "I WAS coming to help, but it looks like your student managed to handle things by himself."

Yudai's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the man standing before him. "Y...You're...Dr. Fudo!"

The man gave a small chuckle, extending a hand for Yudai to shake. "Dr. Fudo was a name more often used to describe my father. Please...call me Yusei."

* * *

** This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards **

S'Mine Field  
Card type: Trap  
Property: Normal  
Effects: Tribute 1 "Marshmallon" monster you control. Special Summon 3 "S'Mine Tokens" (Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your side of the field in Attack Position. Before damage calculation, when a "S'Mine Token" is attacked by an opponent's monster: Destroy the targeted "S'Mine Token", and inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

Hiwata  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: FIRE  
Types: Fairy/Effect  
Level: 1  
ATK/DEF: 200/300  
Effects: When you take effect damage from a card in your opponent's possession: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, place 1 Hi Token on this card for each multiple of 100 damage you took. If this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard due to battle or the effect of a card owned by your opponent: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the amount of Hi Tokens on this card x 100.

Very Fairy Draw  
Card type: Trap  
Property: Normal  
Effects: If 1 or more Fairy-type monster(s) you control are destroyed by a card effect your opponent controls: Draw cards equal to the total Level of all Fairy-type monsters destroyed by this effect (max.: 5).

Neo-Fairy Teal  
Card type: Monster  
Attribute: LIGHT  
Types: Fairy/Synchro/Effect  
Level: 4  
ATK/DEF: 2000/1000  
Materials: 1 Fairy-type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters  
Effects: This card gains 200 ATK for every Fairy-Type monster in your Graveyard. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower Fairy-Type monster in your Graveyard, except this card; Special Summon that target.

Speed Spell - Lightspeed  
Card type: Spell  
Property: Normal  
Effects: Activate while you have 5 or more Speed Counters. Select 1 LIGHT monster you control. Increase its ATK by 1000 during the Battle Phase of this turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yusei in da house! XD
> 
> So, let's talk about Yudai's name for a second. And yes, I had that scene where he yells it at Darren planned pretty much from the get-go. Yudai is made up of Yu (hero) and dai (great), while Hikaru means light, so put it together and you have the Great Hero of Light (or Hero of Great Light, whichever sounds better). Actually, I suppose in Japan, his family name would go first, so it'd be Hikaru Yudai (the Light's Great Hero?)...and I'm clearly overthinking this. Point is, he's a police officer who protects people and has a deck made mostly of LIGHT Monsters, so the name makes sense for his character. The other reason I picked it is because it contains Yu, just like every other Yugioh main protagonist.
> 
> Lastly, I wanted to make something clear about my story, considering some changes that have been made to the game as of late. To be blunt, I'm not going to be making use of Link Monsters or the new rules involving the Extra Monster Zones. If for no other reason, I feel justified in making this ruling because none of these things existed in the 5D's timeline, so I'm just not going there.
> 
> Anyway, check back in next time as Yudai and Aoi decide to consult with Yusei about everything going on, and we learn a bit more about one Yudai Hikaru. Ja né!


End file.
